Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) Stock Holdings Boosted by Scientech Research LLC

Scientech Research LLC boosted its position in shares of Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS - Free Report) by 78.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,080 shares of the asset manager's stock after acquiring an additional 7,534 shares during the period. Northern Trust accounts for about 0.5% of Scientech Research LLC's holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Scientech Research LLC's holdings in Northern Trust were worth $1,751,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its stake in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its position 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Empirical Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northern Trust in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in shares of Northern Trust by 51.2% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 378 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its position in Northern Trust by 528.3% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 377 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Teresa Parker sold 6,467 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.62, for a total transaction of $650,709.54. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 79,391 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,988,322.42. This trade represents a 7.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Clive Bellows sold 3,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.95, for a total transaction of $329,835.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 28,736 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,872,163.20. This represents a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.77% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NTRS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Northern Trust from $118.00 to $111.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group increased their target price on Northern Trust from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Northern Trust from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 24th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Northern Trust from $104.00 to $100.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Northern Trust from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northern Trust presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $110.83.

Northern Trust Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRS traded up $1.12 during trading on Thursday, hitting $106.46. 1,140,960 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,276,842. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.71. Northern Trust Co. has a 1 year low of $79.68 and a 1 year high of $114.67. The company has a market cap of $20.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.87, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.18. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $96.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $103.18.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The asset manager reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.05. Northern Trust had a net margin of 12.77% and a return on equity of 13.74%. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.95 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Northern Trust Co. will post 8.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northern Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. Northern Trust's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.99%.

Northern Trust Company 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.