Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. Acquires New Shares in Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS)

Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 6,300 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $646,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Y.D. More Investments Ltd raised its holdings in Northern Trust by 118.4% in the fourth quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 249 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Northern Trust in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its holdings in Northern Trust by 51.2% in 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 in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Northern Trust in the third quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Eastern Bank bought a new position in Northern Trust in the third quarter worth about $51,000. 83.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Northern Trust

In other news, insider John Landers sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.44, for a total transaction of $100,296.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $851,401.60. This represents a 10.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Vice Chairman Steven L. Fradkin sold 9,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.00, for a total value of $1,010,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 47,797 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,305,467. This represents a 15.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 44,435 shares of company stock valued at $4,980,311 in the last three months. 0.64% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Northern Trust Trading Down 0.2 %

Northern Trust stock opened at $113.53 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. Northern Trust Co. has a 12 month low of $78.96 and a 12 month high of $114.67. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $106.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $99.76. The firm has a market cap of $22.50 billion, a PE ratio of 11.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.08.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The asset manager reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 8.25 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, April 1st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Northern Trust’s payout ratio is 30.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NTRS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Northern Trust from $107.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com upgraded Northern Trust from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Northern Trust from $103.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Northern Trust from $92.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Northern Trust from $113.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $112.58.

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.