Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) Price Target Raised to $140.00

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) had its price target upped by Morgan Stanley from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research report report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an underweight rating on the asset manager’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on NTRS. Barclays increased their price target on Northern Trust from $136.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Northern Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Northern Trust in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Northern Trust from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Friday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $142.46.

Northern Trust Price Performance

Shares of 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 firm has a market cap of $28.11 billion, a PE ratio of 17.01, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $137.87 and a 200 day moving average of $131.90. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The asset manager reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.26 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Northern Trust will post 8.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northern Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Northern Trust’s payout ratio is 36.61%.

Insider Transactions at Northern Trust

In other news, EVP Susan Cohen Levy sold 27,591 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 3,891 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $128.57 per share, for a total transaction of $500,265.87. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 6,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $859,619.02. The trade was a 139.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Northern Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northern Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in Northern Trust during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. AlphaCore Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Northern Trust by 87.4% in the second quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 208 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Northern Trust by 5,225.0% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 213 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. 83.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northern Trust News Summary

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.