Focus Partners Wealth Raises Stock Holdings in Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS)

Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) by 10.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,267 shares of the asset manager’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,990 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth’s holdings in Northern Trust were worth $2,180,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Northern Trust by 9.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,296,442 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $386,809,000 after acquiring an additional 388,692 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank boosted its position in shares of Northern Trust by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 42,978 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $4,405,000 after purchasing an additional 1,903 shares in the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management grew its stake in Northern Trust by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 8,526 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $874,000 after buying an additional 1,210 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Northern Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $213,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in Northern Trust by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,939 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $404,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. 83.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Northern Trust Trading Up 1.0%

Northern Trust stock opened at $107.47 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market cap of $20.91 billion, a PE ratio of 10.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $95.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.01. Northern Trust Co. has a 12 month low of $79.68 and a 12 month high of $114.67.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The asset manager reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.95 billion. Northern Trust had a net margin of 12.77% and a return on equity of 13.74%. Analysts anticipate that Northern Trust Co. will post 8.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Northern Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. Northern Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on NTRS. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $118.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Northern Trust from $92.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Northern Trust from $98.00 to $92.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group increased their price objective on Northern Trust from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Northern Trust from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.83.

Insider Activity at Northern Trust

In related news, EVP Thomas A. South sold 3,804 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total value of $429,852.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 81,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,242,722. This trade represents a 4.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Clive Bellows sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.95, for a total value of $329,835.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 28,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,872,163.20. The trade was a 10.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,571 shares of company stock worth $1,410,397 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Northern Trust 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.