Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Has $5.66 Million Holdings in Northern Trust Corporation $NTRS

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Northern Trust Corporation (NASDAQ:NTRS) by 60.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,266 shares of the asset manager’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,846 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Northern Trust were worth $5,660,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NTRS. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 1,659 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $223,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its position in shares of Northern Trust by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 682 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. increased its stake in Northern Trust by 5.1% in the third quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,666 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC increased its stake in Northern Trust by 2.2% in the third quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 3,812 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $513,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC raised its position in Northern Trust by 2.3% during the third quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,717 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $500,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 83.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northern Trust Stock Performance

Shares of Northern Trust stock opened at $134.99 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $144.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $136.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.27. Northern Trust Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $81.62 and a fifty-two week high of $157.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The asset manager reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.05. Northern Trust had a net margin of 12.15% and a return on equity of 14.87%. The company had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.26 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Northern Trust Corporation will post 8.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northern Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Northern Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.61%.

Insider Transactions at Northern Trust

In other news, COO Peter Cherecwich sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.62, for a total transaction of $3,740,500.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 26,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,928,871.58. The trade was a 48.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO David W. Fox, Jr. sold 3,255 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.89, for a total value of $468,361.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,093,887.28. This represents a 18.28% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 34,905 shares of company stock valued at $5,166,714. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on NTRS. Citigroup began coverage on Northern Trust in a report on Monday, February 23rd. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Northern Trust from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Zacks Research upgraded Northern Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Northern Trust in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Northern Trust from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $148.75.

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.