Morgan Stanley Raises Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) Price Target to $140.00

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) had its target price upped by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “underweight” rating on the asset manager’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price would indicate a potential downside of 5.81% from the company’s previous close.

NTRS has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Northern Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 27th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Northern Trust in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $142.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “sell” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Northern Trust in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Truist Financial set a $148.00 target price on Northern Trust in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Northern Trust from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Northern Trust currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $142.46.

Northern Trust Trading Down 2.9%

Northern Trust stock opened at $148.63 on Friday. Northern Trust has a 12 month low of $81.62 and a 12 month high of $157.60. The company has a market capitalization of $28.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.27. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $137.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $131.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The asset manager reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter. Northern Trust had a return on equity of 14.87% and a net margin of 12.15%.Northern Trust’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.26 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Northern Trust will post 8.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Northern Trust

In related news, EVP Susan Cohen Levy sold 27,591 shares of Northern Trust stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.13, for a total value of $3,535,234.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 48,257 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,183,169.41. The trade was a 36.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 3,891 shares of Northern Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $128.57 per share, with a total value of $500,265.87. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $859,619.02. The trade was a 139.21% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northern Trust

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Northern Trust by 13.3% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,112 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,984,000 after buying an additional 2,363 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its position in shares of Northern Trust by 39.1% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 16,557 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,633,000 after acquiring an additional 4,653 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Northern Trust by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,814 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,346,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in Northern Trust by 102.4% in the 2nd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 4,579 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $581,000 after purchasing an additional 2,317 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Northern Trust by 2.4% during the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 11,133 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,412,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Northern Trust News

Here are the key news stories impacting Northern Trust this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results topped estimates — Northern Trust reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results with year-over-year net interest income and asset growth helping revenue and EPS beat consensus, a core bullish catalyst for the stock. Q4 Beat: Zacks
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted record NII and raised targets on the earnings call — the company pointed to higher net interest income and stronger fee/servicing trends on the call, which prompted some analysts to lift forecasts. Earnings Call Summary: TipRanks
• Positive Sentiment: RBC raised its price target to $159 and moved to an outperform view — a bullish analyst action that signals upside expectations following the quarter. RBC Raise: The Fly
• Positive Sentiment: Board approved/announced quarterly dividend — Northern Trust declared a quarterly dividend of $0.80 (record March 6), supporting income-oriented investor interest.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several firms nudged up targets but kept neutral/in-line ratings (Evercore to $155 in-line; Wells Fargo to $150 equal weight) — these moves recognize better results but stop short of a strong buy endorsement. Evercore: TickerReport Wells Fargo: TickerReport
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its target to $140 but kept an “underweight” rating — the firm’s stance signals limited confidence in near-term upside and likely contributed to selling pressure. MS PT Change: Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: Costs and valuation concerns persist — several write-ups note elevated expenses are trimming margin expansion and that valuation may be rich after the run, which can temper enthusiasm despite the beat. Valuation Concerns: Seeking Alpha

Northern Trust Company Profile

Northern Trust Corporation (NASDAQ: NTRS) is a global financial services firm headquartered in Chicago that provides asset servicing, asset management and wealth management solutions to institutions, corporations and high-net-worth individuals. The company’s core businesses include custody and fund administration, investment operations outsourcing, trust and fiduciary services, private banking, and retirement and defined contribution plan services.

Northern Trust’s product and service offerings span custody and fund accounting, portfolio and performance analytics, securities lending, cash management and foreign exchange, as well as discretionary and non-discretionary investment management.