Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) Price Target Raised to $159.00

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) had its target price upped by Royal Bank Of Canada from $139.00 to $159.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the asset manager’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Northern Trust from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Friday. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Northern Trust in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Northern Trust in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $142.00 price target on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Northern Trust in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $142.46.

Northern Trust Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRS opened at $148.63 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $137.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $131.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.27. Northern Trust has a 52 week low of $81.62 and a 52 week high of $157.60.

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

Northern Trust Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Northern Trust

In related news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 3,891 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $128.57 per share, for a total transaction of $500,265.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $859,619.02. The trade was a 139.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider John Landers sold 766 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.35, for a total transaction of $95,252.10. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,313 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $909,371.55. This trade represents a 9.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northern Trust

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,593,674 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,864,652,000 after acquiring an additional 188,472 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in Northern Trust by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,493,634 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,285,236,000 after buying an additional 97,584 shares in the last quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA lifted its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 19.5% in the second quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 7,793,757 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $988,170,000 after buying an additional 1,270,748 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 3.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,196,659 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $656,229,000 after purchasing an additional 184,726 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Northern Trust by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,501,628 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $443,971,000 after buying an additional 58,029 shares in the last quarter. 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.