Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Decreases Stake in Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. cut its stake in shares of Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS - Free Report) by 12.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 78,404 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 11,066 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Northern Trust were worth $8,141,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Y.D. More Investments Ltd increased its position in Northern Trust by 118.4% during the 4th quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 249 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Northern Trust during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Northern Trust during the third quarter worth $39,000. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its position in Northern Trust by 51.2% in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 378 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Northern Trust during the 3rd quarter worth $48,000. 83.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Thomas A. South sold 3,804 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total transaction of $429,852.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 81,794 shares in the company, valued at $9,242,722. This trade represents a 4.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Vice Chairman Steven L. Fradkin sold 9,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.00, for a total value of $1,010,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 47,797 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,305,467. The trade was a 15.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 44,435 shares of company stock valued at $4,980,311. Company insiders own 0.64% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NTRS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Northern Trust from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Northern Trust from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on Northern Trust from $103.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $112.58.

Northern Trust Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRS traded down $0.56 during trading on Friday, reaching $112.97. The company had a trading volume of 1,006,850 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,204,719. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.39 billion, a PE ratio of 11.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.08. Northern Trust Co. has a twelve month low of $79.30 and a twelve month high of $114.67. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $107.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $99.85.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The asset manager reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.30. Northern Trust had a net margin of 12.77% and a return on equity of 13.74%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Northern Trust Co. will post 8.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Northern Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.66%. Northern Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.67%.

Northern Trust Profile

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.