Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Shares of Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $113.46.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $113.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Northern Trust from $119.00 to $118.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com downgraded Northern Trust from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $92.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th.

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Northern Trust Trading Down 3.4 %

Shares of NTRS traded down $3.40 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $97.15. 1,524,351 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,228,457. Northern Trust has a 12 month low of $79.32 and a 12 month high of $114.67. 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 stock has a market cap of $19.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.07. The stock's 50-day moving average is $107.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $102.78.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The asset manager reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.30. Northern Trust had a return on equity of 13.74% and a net margin of 12.77%. Research analysts forecast that Northern Trust will post 8.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northern Trust Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Northern Trust's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.67%.

Insider Activity at Northern Trust

In other news, EVP Jane Karpinski sold 2,262 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.33, for a total transaction of $251,828.46. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,236 shares in the company, valued at $1,918,883.88. This trade represents a 11.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Thomas A. South sold 3,804 shares of the business'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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 81,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,242,722. The trade was a 4.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 35,335 shares of company stock worth $3,970,211. 0.64% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northern Trust

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Y.D. More Investments Ltd lifted its position in shares of Northern Trust by 118.4% in the fourth quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 249 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its holdings in Northern Trust by 6,400.0% in the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 260 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Northern Trust by 528.3% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 377 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its stake in Northern Trust by 51.2% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 378 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 84.0% during the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 425 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. 83.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.