Insider Selling: Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) EVP Sells $429,852.00 in Stock

Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) EVP Thomas A. South sold 3,804 shares of Northern Trust stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total transaction of $429,852.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 81,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,242,722. This represents a 4.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Northern Trust Stock Performance

Shares of Northern Trust stock opened at $112.97 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $107.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $100.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.55, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.08. Northern Trust Co. has a 52 week low of $79.30 and a 52 week high of $114.67.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The asset manager reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.30. Northern Trust had a return on equity of 13.74% and a net margin of 12.77%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Northern Trust Co. will post 8.27 EPS for the current year.

Northern Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Northern Trust’s payout ratio is 30.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northern Trust

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 118.4% in the 4th quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 249 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its holdings in Northern Trust by 6,400.0% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 260 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Northern Trust in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northern Trust in the third quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group raised its position in shares of Northern Trust by 51.2% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 378 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on NTRS shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Northern Trust from $127.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded Northern Trust from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays lifted their price target on Northern Trust from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Northern Trust from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $112.58.

About Northern Trust

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.