Northern Trust Corporation (NASDAQ:NTRS – Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Wednesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. 666,798 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 39% from the previous session’s volume of 1,084,415 shares.The stock last traded at $179.6760 and had previously closed at $185.06.
The asset manager reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.13 billion. Northern Trust had a net margin of 14.76% and a return on equity of 16.91%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.90 earnings per share.
Northern Trust Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be issued a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This is a positive change from Northern Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. Northern Trust’s payout ratio is currently 33.51%.
Key Headlines Impacting Northern Trust
- Positive Sentiment: Northern Trust reported better-than-expected Q2 2026 results, with earnings and revenue topping Wall Street estimates, helped by higher net interest income, stronger fee income, and growth in assets under management. Northern Trust Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
- Positive Sentiment: The company also raised its quarterly dividend by 10%, signaling confidence in capital strength and shareholder returns. Northern Trust posts strong Q2 results, boosts dividend
- Positive Sentiment: Management’s earnings-call commentary and related coverage pointed to a confident outlook, suggesting operating momentum remains solid after the quarter. Northern Trust’s Earnings Call Signals Confident Upswing
- Neutral Sentiment: Several recaps noted that revenue growth was broad-based, including fees, capital markets, and net interest income, reinforcing that the quarter’s upside was not driven by just one segment. Northern Trust’s Q2 revenue up on fees, capital markets, net interest income
- Negative Sentiment: RBC Capital downgraded Northern Trust to Hold-equivalent after the earnings release, which may be tempering enthusiasm despite the strong report. RBC Capital downgrades Northern Trust to Hold-equivalent after Q2 earnings
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several brokerages have recently weighed in on NTRS. Evercore set a $179.00 target price on Northern Trust in a report on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group set a $186.00 price target on Northern Trust in a report on Friday, June 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Northern Trust from $189.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Northern Trust from $157.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Northern Trust from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $168.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $180.25.
Read Our Latest Analysis on NTRS
Insider Buying and Selling at Northern Trust
In related news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz bought 225 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $166.41 per share, with a total value of $37,442.25. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 8,145 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,355,409.45. This trade represents a 2.84% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO David W. Fox, Jr. sold 19,987 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.16, for a total value of $3,321,039.92. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 18,588 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,088,582.08. This trade represents a 51.81% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northern Trust
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ballast Inc. increased its stake in shares of Northern Trust by 12.8% during the second quarter. Ballast Inc. now owns 13,290 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,310,000 after buying an additional 1,507 shares during the period. Tema ETFs LLC lifted its stake in Northern Trust by 10.1% in the second quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 3,174 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $552,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Northern Trust in the second quarter worth approximately $246,000. Czech National Bank grew its holdings in Northern Trust by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 52,671 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $9,156,000 after acquiring an additional 1,923 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Northern Trust by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,728 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $648,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. 83.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Northern Trust Stock Performance
The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $174.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $157.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $32.93 billion, a PE ratio of 15.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.25.
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.
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