Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) Rating Increased to Outperform at BMO Capital Markets

BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report report published on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have $168.00 price target on the asset manager’s stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on NTRS. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays increased their target price on Northern Trust from $136.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Zacks Research upgraded Northern Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Northern Trust in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Northern Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $154.55.

Northern Trust Stock Performance

NTRS opened at $143.32 on Monday. Northern Trust has a 52-week low of $81.62 and a 52-week high of $157.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $26.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.23. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $143.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $137.36.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The asset manager reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.26 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Northern Trust will post 8.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northern Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. Northern Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.61%.

Insider Activity at Northern Trust

In related news, Director Richard Petrino acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $148.91 per share, for a total transaction of $148,910.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 3,332 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $496,168.12. This represents a 42.88% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Guy Gibson sold 3,009 shares of Northern Trust stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.39, for a total value of $428,451.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 29,332 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,176,583.48. The trade was a 9.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 34,905 shares of company stock worth $5,166,714 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northern Trust

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRS. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Northern Trust during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Northern Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in shares of Northern Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northern Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northern Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.19% of the company’s stock.

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.