SG Americas Securities LLC Lowers Holdings in Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS)

SG Americas Securities LLC decreased its holdings in Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS - Free Report) by 45.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,517 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 3,698 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Northern Trust were worth $463,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northern Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Northern Trust in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its holdings in Northern Trust by 51.2% in the 4th 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. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Northern Trust in the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in Northern Trust during the 3rd quarter worth $51,000. 83.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on NTRS shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $127.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Northern Trust from $103.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com raised Northern Trust from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays lifted their target price on Northern Trust from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $92.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.58.

Northern Trust Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of Northern Trust stock traded up $1.84 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $113.22. 1,202,701 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,200,187. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $106.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $97.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.68. Northern Trust Co. has a 52 week low of $76.67 and a 52 week high of $114.21. The company has a market cap of $22.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.08.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The asset manager reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts expect that Northern Trust Co. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northern Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Northern Trust's dividend payout ratio is 30.67%.

Insider Activity at Northern Trust

In related news, insider John Landers sold 900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.44, for a total value of $100,296.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 7,640 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $851,401.60. This trade represents a 10.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Thomas A. South sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.80, for a total transaction of $529,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 49,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,264,184.80. The trade was a 9.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 61,784 shares of company stock worth $6,778,431 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.64% 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.