Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the twelve research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have assigned a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $107.17.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Northern Trust from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $84.00 to $82.00 in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Northern Trust from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Northern Trust from $127.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 3rd.

Insider Transactions at Northern Trust

In other Northern Trust news, COO Peter Cherecwich sold 16,153 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.18, for a total transaction of $1,698,972.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 4,397 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $462,476.46. This trade represents a 78.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Vice Chairman Steven L. Fradkin sold 9,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.00, for a total value of $1,010,100.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 47,797 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,305,467. The trade was a 15.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 82,151 shares of company stock valued at $8,489,889 in the last 90 days. 0.64% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northern Trust during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Northern Trust during the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in Northern Trust during the third quarter worth approximately $51,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Northern Trust in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $68,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Northern Trust by 34.9% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 684 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.19% of the company’s stock.

Northern Trust Stock Down 0.5 %

Northern Trust stock opened at $102.22 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $105.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.83. Northern Trust has a twelve month low of $76.67 and a twelve month high of $111.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.71, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Northern Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. Northern Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.31%.

Northern Trust Company Profile

Northern Trust Corporation, a financial holding company, provides wealth management, asset servicing, asset management, and banking solutions for corporations, institutions, families, and individuals worldwide. It operates in two segments, Asset Servicing and Wealth Management. The Asset Servicing segment offers asset servicing and related services, including custody, fund administration, investment operations outsourcing, investment management, investment risk and analytical services, employee benefit services, securities lending, foreign exchange, treasury management, brokerage services, transition management services, banking, and cash management services.