Thompson Investment Management Inc. Sells 2,226 Shares of Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS)

Thompson Investment Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS - Free Report) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 63,778 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 2,226 shares during the quarter. Thompson Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Northern Trust were worth $6,537,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Entropy Technologies LP increased its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 106.2% during the 4th quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 17,094 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $1,752,000 after purchasing an additional 8,803 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Northern Trust by 333.5% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 17,749 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $1,819,000 after acquiring an additional 13,655 shares in the last quarter. Tobam grew its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Tobam now owns 4,535 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $465,000 after purchasing an additional 454 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its position in shares of Northern Trust by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 21,236 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $2,177,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Northern Trust by 24.7% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 22,061 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $2,286,000 after purchasing an additional 4,374 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted 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 increased their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $92.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Northern Trust from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Northern Trust from $107.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Northern Trust from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $112.58.

Northern Trust Price Performance

Shares of Northern Trust stock traded down $0.29 during trading on Friday, reaching $113.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 822,970 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,162,977. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $106.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $98.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Northern Trust Co. has a one year low of $76.67 and a one year high of $114.67.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 anticipate that Northern Trust Co. will post 8.2 EPS 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 given a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.64%. Northern Trust's payout ratio is 30.67%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider John Landers sold 900 shares of Northern Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.44, for a total transaction of $100,296.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,640 shares in the company, valued at $851,401.60. The trade was a 10.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Vice Chairman Steven L. Fradkin sold 9,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider now owns 47,797 shares in the company, valued at $5,305,467. This represents a 15.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 40,631 shares of company stock valued at $4,550,459. Company 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.