Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $115.15 and last traded at $113.83, with a volume of 513 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $113.80.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on NTRS shares. StockNews.com raised Northern Trust from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $113.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Northern Trust from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on Northern Trust from $103.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $112.58.

Northern Trust Trading Up 0.6 %

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $106.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $98.16. The company has a market capitalization of $22.70 billion, a PE ratio of 11.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.68.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The asset manager reported $2.26 earnings per share (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%. Analysts anticipate that Northern Trust Co. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Northern Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Northern Trust’s payout ratio is currently 30.67%.

Insider Activity at Northern Trust

In related news, EVP Jane Karpinski sold 2,262 shares of Northern Trust stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.33, for a total transaction of $251,828.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,236 shares in the company, valued at $1,918,883.88. The trade was a 11.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman Steven L. Fradkin sold 9,100 shares of Northern Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.00, for a total transaction of $1,010,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 47,797 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,305,467. This trade represents a 15.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 40,631 shares of company stock worth $4,550,459. Corporate insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northern Trust

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Northern Trust by 528.3% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 377 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in Northern Trust by 51.2% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 378 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Northern Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Northern Trust during the third quarter worth about $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.19% of the company’s stock.

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.