ING Groep NV Sells 1,204 Shares of Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS)

ING Groep NV decreased its position in shares of Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) by 11.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,959 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 1,204 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Northern Trust were worth $918,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRS. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,170 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Northern Trust by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 4,212 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $432,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Northern Trust by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 2,483 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Northern Trust by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,091 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $624,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Finally, Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Northern Trust by 0.4% in the third quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 35,673 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $3,212,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.19% of the company’s stock.

Northern Trust Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NTRS opened at $112.82 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $22.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.08. 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 stock’s 50-day moving average is $107.39 and its 200-day moving average is $100.51. Northern Trust Co. has a 1-year low of $79.30 and a 1-year high of $114.67.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The asset manager reported $2.26 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Northern Trust Co. will post 8.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Northern Trust Announces Dividend

The business 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 $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Northern Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Thomas A. South sold 3,804 shares of Northern Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was 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 $9,242,722. The trade was a 4.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman Steven L. Fradkin sold 9,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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. Insiders have sold a total of 44,435 shares of company stock valued at $4,980,311 over the last ninety days. 0.64% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Northern Trust from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Northern Trust from $127.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Barclays raised their price target on Northern Trust from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Northern Trust from $107.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Northern Trust from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Northern Trust currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $112.58.

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.