Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) Given New $140.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) had its target price raised by Morgan Stanley from $131.00 to $140.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an underweight rating on the asset manager’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Northern Trust in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $142.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Northern Trust in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Northern Trust from $123.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Northern Trust in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $142.46.

Northern Trust Price Performance

NTRS stock opened at $148.63 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $137.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $131.83. Northern Trust has a 52-week low of $81.62 and a 52-week high of $157.60. The company has a market capitalization of $28.11 billion, a PE ratio of 17.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The asset manager reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter. Northern Trust had a net margin of 12.15% and a return on equity of 14.87%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.26 EPS. Analysts predict that Northern Trust will post 8.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northern Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Northern Trust’s payout ratio is currently 37.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Susan Cohen Levy sold 27,591 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.13, for a total value of $3,535,234.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 48,257 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,183,169.41. This trade represents a 36.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider John Landers sold 766 shares of Northern Trust stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.35, for a total transaction of $95,252.10. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,313 shares in the company, valued at approximately $909,371.55. This represents a 9.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.77% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northern Trust

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its stake in shares of Northern Trust by 84.8% during the second quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,567 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $199,000 after purchasing an additional 719 shares in the last quarter. First Pacific Financial bought a new stake in shares of Northern Trust during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,118,000. Aviva PLC lifted its stake in shares of Northern Trust by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 149,911 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $19,007,000 after acquiring an additional 11,587 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 228.0% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 75,829 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $10,207,000 after acquiring an additional 52,711 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 5.3% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,907,408 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $241,840,000 after acquiring an additional 96,592 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.19% of the company’s stock.

Northern Trust News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Northern Trust this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results topped estimates — Northern Trust reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results with year-over-year net interest income and asset growth helping revenue and EPS beat consensus, a core bullish catalyst for the stock. Q4 Beat: Zacks
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted record NII and raised targets on the earnings call — the company pointed to higher net interest income and stronger fee/servicing trends on the call, which prompted some analysts to lift forecasts. Earnings Call Summary: TipRanks
• Positive Sentiment: RBC raised its price target to $159 and moved to an outperform view — a bullish analyst action that signals upside expectations following the quarter. RBC Raise: The Fly
• Positive Sentiment: Board approved/announced quarterly dividend — Northern Trust declared a quarterly dividend of $0.80 (record March 6), supporting income-oriented investor interest.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several firms nudged up targets but kept neutral/in-line ratings (Evercore to $155 in-line; Wells Fargo to $150 equal weight) — these moves recognize better results but stop short of a strong buy endorsement. Evercore: TickerReport Wells Fargo: TickerReport
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its target to $140 but kept an “underweight” rating — the firm’s stance signals limited confidence in near-term upside and likely contributed to selling pressure. MS PT Change: Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: Costs and valuation concerns persist — several write-ups note elevated expenses are trimming margin expansion and that valuation may be rich after the run, which can temper enthusiasm despite the beat. Valuation Concerns: Seeking Alpha

About Northern Trust

Northern Trust Corporation (NASDAQ: NTRS) is a global financial services firm headquartered in Chicago that provides asset servicing, asset management and wealth management solutions to institutions, corporations and high-net-worth individuals. The company’s core businesses include custody and fund administration, investment operations outsourcing, trust and fiduciary services, private banking, and retirement and defined contribution plan services.

Northern Trust’s product and service offerings span custody and fund accounting, portfolio and performance analytics, securities lending, cash management and foreign exchange, as well as discretionary and non-discretionary investment management.