Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $112.58.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $107.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Northern Trust from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Northern Trust from $86.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Northern Trust from $113.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th.

Northern Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRS opened at $112.29 on Monday. Northern Trust has a one year low of $76.67 and a one year high of $114.21. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $106.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $97.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of $22.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.08.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The asset manager reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.30. Northern Trust had a net margin of 12.77% and a return on equity of 13.74%. Analysts anticipate that Northern Trust will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northern Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Northern Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.67%.

Insider Activity at Northern Trust

In other news, COO Peter Cherecwich sold 16,153 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.18, for a total value of $1,698,972.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 4,397 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,476.46. This represents a 78.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jason J. Tyler sold 2,237 shares of Northern Trust stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.67, for a total transaction of $252,042.79. Following the sale, the insider now owns 58,449 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,585,448.83. This trade represents a 3.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 58,622 shares of company stock worth $6,426,307. 0.64% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northern Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Y.D. More Investments Ltd raised its stake in Northern Trust by 118.4% during the fourth quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 249 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Northern Trust in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Northern Trust during the third quarter worth about $39,000. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 51.2% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 378 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Northern Trust in the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Institutional investors own 83.19% of the company’s stock.

About Northern Trust

Northern Trust Corporation, a financial holding company, provides wealth management, asset servicing, asset management, and banking solutions for corporations, institutions, families, and individuals worldwide. It operates in two segments, Asset Servicing and Wealth Management. The Asset Servicing segment offers asset servicing and related services, including custody, fund administration, investment operations outsourcing, investment management, investment risk and analytical services, employee benefit services, securities lending, foreign exchange, treasury management, brokerage services, transition management services, banking, and cash management services.