Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) Stock Price

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) had its target price hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $150.00 to $175.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the asset manager’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Northern Trust from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Northern Trust from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Evercore boosted their target price on shares of Northern Trust from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Northern Trust from $160.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Northern Trust in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northern Trust presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $163.55.

Northern Trust Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ NTRS opened at $167.83 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $31.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.23. Northern Trust has a 52-week low of $90.05 and a 52-week high of $173.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.62. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $144.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $139.41.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The asset manager reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.13 billion. Northern Trust had a net margin of 12.84% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.90 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Northern Trust will post 10.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Northern Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Northern Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.61%.

Insider Activity

In other Northern Trust news, insider Clive Bellows sold 1,148 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.26, for a total transaction of $166,758.48. Following the transaction, the insider owned 34,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,958,159.58. This represents a 3.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO David W. Fox, Jr. sold 3,255 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.89, for a total transaction of $468,361.95. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 14,552 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,093,887.28. The trade was a 18.28% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 34,905 shares of company stock valued at $5,166,714. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NTRS. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Northern Trust during the fourth quarter worth $257,410,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in shares of Northern Trust in the 4th quarter worth $126,794,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Northern Trust by 69.0% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,723,516 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $235,415,000 after acquiring an additional 703,985 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Northern Trust by 114.1% in the 4th quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,031,579 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $140,903,000 after acquiring an additional 549,681 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new stake in shares of Northern Trust in the 4th quarter worth $67,126,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.19% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Northern Trust

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and outlook: Northern Trust reported Q1 2026 EPS of $2.71 and revenue of ~$2.21B, topping estimates and showing double-digit revenue/AUC/AUM growth plus improved operating leverage and credit quality — the core reason for the post-earnings rally. Q1 Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades/price-target lifts: Multiple banks (Barclays, Wells Fargo, RBC, Truist, Goldman) raised price targets following the strong quarter — supportive for sentiment and likely helped push the stock higher earlier in the session. Analyst Reaction
• Positive Sentiment: Capital return / dividend: Management disclosed an aggressive capital-return posture in Q1 (sizeable buybacks + dividends) and declared a $0.80 quarterly dividend (ex-dividend June 5), reinforcing shareholder-friendly policy. Dividend & Capital Return
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder meeting: Stockholders backed the board, executive pay and company plans at the April 21, 2026 annual meeting — removes governance uncertainty and supports continuity. Annual Meeting
• Neutral Sentiment: Business development: Expanded collaboration with Saphyre to streamline account lifecycle for outsourcing clients — incremental efficiency/tech benefit but not immediately material to top-line. Saphyre Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Docs and transcripts: Full earnings slide deck and call transcript are available for details on margin drivers, NII, and AUC — useful for modeling but not market-moving on their own. Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concern: Some analysts/commentary flag that strong results already puts NTRS near a full valuation — this can cap further upside and explains profit-taking after the initial spike. Valuation Note

About Northern Trust

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.