Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Decreases Stake in Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. trimmed its holdings in shares of Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) by 90.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,493 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 14,704 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in Northern Trust were worth $126,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NTRS. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in Northern Trust during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Quent Capital LLC grew its stake in Northern Trust by 77.8% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 361 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in Northern Trust by 94.1% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 359 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in Northern Trust by 147.5% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 604 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Northern Trust during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on NTRS shares. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $86.00 price target (up from $82.00) on shares of Northern Trust in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $93.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Northern Trust from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $84.92.

Northern Trust Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NTRS stock opened at $83.31 on Friday. Northern Trust Co. has a 1 year low of $62.44 and a 1 year high of $89.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.04 billion, a PE ratio of 18.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $84.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $82.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.71.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The asset manager reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.23. Northern Trust had a net margin of 7.59% and a return on equity of 12.57%. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. As a group, research analysts expect that Northern Trust Co. will post 6.82 EPS for the current year.

Northern Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.60%. Northern Trust’s payout ratio is 66.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Peter Cherecwich sold 12,000 shares of Northern Trust stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.09, for a total transaction of $1,045,080.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 31,471 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,740,809.39. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Peter Cherecwich sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.09, for a total transaction of $1,045,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 31,471 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,740,809.39. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Steven L. Fradkin sold 4,097 shares of Northern Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.56, for a total transaction of $338,248.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 46,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,804,199.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.64% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.