Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) Stock Price

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) had its target price increased by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $131.00 to $140.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “underweight” rating on the asset manager’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective points to a potential downside of 5.40% from the stock’s current price.

NTRS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “sell” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Northern Trust in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Northern Trust in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Northern Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 27th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $148.00 target price on shares of Northern Trust in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $142.46.

Northern Trust Stock Down 3.3%

NTRS stock traded down $5.13 during trading on Friday, reaching $147.99. 397,077 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 971,652. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $137.44 and its 200 day moving average is $131.69. Northern Trust has a twelve month low of $81.62 and a twelve month high of $157.60. The firm has a market cap of $27.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.27.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The asset manager reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter. Northern Trust had a net margin of 11.99% and a return on equity of 14.37%. The business’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.26 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Northern Trust will post 8.27 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Northern Trust

In other Northern Trust news, insider John Landers sold 766 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.35, for a total value of $95,252.10. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,313 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $909,371.55. This represents a 9.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Susan Cohen Levy sold 27,591 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.13, for a total transaction of $3,535,234.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 48,257 shares in the company, valued at $6,183,169.41. The trade was a 36.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northern Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Northern Trust by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 33,457 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $4,570,000 after acquiring an additional 983 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Northern Trust by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,031 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $414,000 after buying an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northern Trust by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,379 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $598,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northern Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $287,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northern Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $646,000. 83.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Northern Trust News

Here are the key news stories impacting Northern Trust this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results topped expectations: company reported stronger revenue, rising trust/servicing fees, higher net interest income (NII) and AUM/AUC growth — fundamentals that support earnings momentum. Q4 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings call highlighted record NII and management raised internal targets — a bullish signal for future net interest income contribution to profits. Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada upgraded NTRS to Outperform and raised its price target to $159 — a notable bullish endorsement from a major shop. RBC Raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Evercore raised its price target to $155 but kept an “in‑line” rating — a lift to valuation assumptions but not a full endorsement. Evercore Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo nudged its target to $150 while retaining an “equal weight” rating — a modest adjustment that signals limited near‑term upside from their view. Wells Fargo Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Company declared a $0.80 quarterly dividend (ex‑div March 6) — supportive income profile but largely priced in by income investors.
• Negative Sentiment: Expenses remain elevated and are cutting into margins despite revenue/NII gains — a persistent headwind that could limit upside to profit margins. Zacks Cost Note
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary flags that valuation looks elevated after the recent run — that can trigger profit‑taking and limit buyers at current levels. Seeking Alpha Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed analyst signals (some upgrades, some neutral equal‑weight calls) plus the stock’s proximity to its 12‑month high increase the chance of short‑term profit taking, which helps explain today’s pullback.

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.