Polaris Capital Management LLC Lowers Position in Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS)

Polaris Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS - Free Report) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 383,800 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 14,800 shares during the period. Northern Trust accounts for approximately 1.9% of Polaris Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Polaris Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.19% of Northern Trust worth $39,340,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NTRS. FMR LLC raised its position in Northern Trust by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 18,187,663 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $1,637,435,000 after purchasing an additional 1,542,685 shares during the period. Primecap Management Co. CA grew its stake in shares of Northern Trust by 0.5% during the third quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 7,085,117 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $637,873,000 after buying an additional 38,360 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 9.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,296,442 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $386,809,000 after buying an additional 388,692 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Northern Trust by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,577,091 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $141,986,000 after acquiring an additional 16,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Northern Trust by 201.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 963,811 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $98,791,000 after acquiring an additional 644,261 shares during the period. 83.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Northern Trust Stock Down 0.5 %

NASDAQ NTRS traded down $0.58 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $110.42. 1,809,180 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,186,159. The firm has a market cap of $21.89 billion, a PE ratio of 11.29, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.71. Northern Trust Co. has a 52-week low of $76.67 and a 52-week high of $114.67. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $106.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $98.67.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The asset manager reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.30. Northern Trust had a return on equity of 13.74% and a net margin of 12.77%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Northern Trust Co. will post 8.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northern Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Northern Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northern Trust

In other news, Vice Chairman Steven L. Fradkin sold 9,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.00, for a total transaction of $1,010,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 47,797 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,305,467. This represents a 15.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jason J. Tyler sold 2,237 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.67, for a total transaction of $252,042.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 58,449 shares in the company, valued at $6,585,448.83. This trade represents a 3.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 40,631 shares of company stock worth $4,550,459. Company insiders own 0.64% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on NTRS. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Northern Trust from $103.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $86.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $92.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $107.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Northern Trust from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.58.

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.