Marshall Wace LLP Reduces Position in Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS)

Marshall Wace LLP decreased its holdings in shares of Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS - Free Report) by 57.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 119,397 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 161,996 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.06% of Northern Trust worth $12,238,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its holdings 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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Empirical Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northern Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Brooklyn Investment Group increased 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 buying an additional 128 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position 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 buying an additional 317 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northern Trust during the fourth quarter worth $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.19% of the company's stock.

Northern Trust Stock Performance

Northern Trust stock traded down $0.81 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $91.59. 1,171,120 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,251,792. The firm has a market cap of $17.92 billion, a PE ratio of 9.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.68. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $97.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $102.73. Northern Trust Co. has a twelve month low of $79.68 and a twelve month high of $114.67.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The asset manager reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.05. Northern Trust had a net margin of 12.77% and a return on equity of 13.74%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.95 billion. Equities analysts predict that Northern Trust Co. will post 8.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northern Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. Northern Trust's payout ratio is 27.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northern Trust news, EVP Thomas A. South sold 3,804 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total value of $429,852.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 81,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,242,722. This trade represents a 4.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Peter Cherecwich sold 26,132 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.36, for a total value of $2,936,191.52. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,586 shares in the company, valued at $2,987,202.96. This trade represents a 49.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 35,335 shares of company stock worth $3,970,211. Company insiders own 0.77% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NTRS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Northern Trust from $92.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Northern Trust from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $136.00 to $132.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $104.00 to $100.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Northern Trust from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northern Trust currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $110.83.

Northern Trust Company 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.