Northern Trust Corporation $NTRS Shares Sold by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC cut its stake in Northern Trust Corporation (NASDAQ:NTRS) by 24.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,393 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 9,357 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Northern Trust were worth $4,015,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NTRS. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Northern Trust during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in Northern Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Northern Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Northern Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its position in Northern Trust by 179.2% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 268 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. 83.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Northern Trust

In related news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz purchased 225 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $166.41 per share, with a total value of $37,442.25. Following the purchase, the director owned 8,145 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,355,409.45. The trade was a 2.84% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Clive Bellows sold 2,800 shares of Northern Trust stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.02, for a total transaction of $462,056.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 28,217 shares in the company, valued at $4,656,369.34. This represents a 9.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 22,800 shares of company stock valued at $3,785,251. 0.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Northern Trust Price Performance

NASDAQ:NTRS opened at $169.11 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market cap of $31.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $160.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $147.79. Northern Trust Corporation has a 1-year low of $107.08 and a 1-year high of $173.66.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The asset manager reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.13 billion. Northern Trust had a net margin of 12.84% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.90 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Northern Trust Corporation will post 10.68 EPS for the current year.

Northern Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Northern Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on NTRS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $151.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $160.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Northern Trust in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $153.50 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.08.

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.