Clive Bellows Sells 1,148 Shares of Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) Stock

Northern Trust Corporation (NASDAQ:NTRS) insider Clive Bellows sold 1,148 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.26, for a total value of $166,758.48. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 34,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,958,159.58. This represents a 3.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Northern Trust Stock Up 1.5%

NASDAQ NTRS opened at $146.38 on Friday. Northern Trust Corporation has a 52 week low of $81.62 and a 52 week high of $157.60. 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 company has a market capitalization of $27.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.27. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $143.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.22.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last released 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. Northern Trust had a net margin of 12.15% and a return on equity of 14.87%. The company had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.26 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Northern Trust Corporation will post 8.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Northern Trust Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NTRS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research raised Northern Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Evercore increased their target price on Northern Trust from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Northern Trust from $139.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Northern Trust from $130.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $143.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $148.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northern Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Northern Trust in the 2nd quarter worth about $276,087,000. Primecap Management Co. CA increased its stake in Northern Trust by 19.5% during the second quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 7,793,757 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $988,170,000 after acquiring an additional 1,270,748 shares during the last quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in Northern Trust during the fourth quarter worth approximately $126,794,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Northern Trust by 2,397.3% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 657,026 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $83,304,000 after purchasing an additional 630,717 shares during the period. Finally, Rokos Capital Management LLP bought a new stake in shares of Northern Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $73,888,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.19% of the company’s stock.

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.