Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) Shares Sold by Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd cut its stake in shares of Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) by 57.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 9,802 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 13,014 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in Northern Trust were worth $1,005,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Northern Trust by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 26,830 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,405 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Northern Trust by 48.8% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 26,774 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,431,000 after buying an additional 8,781 shares during the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Northern Trust by 1.5% in the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 38,755 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $3,489,000 after buying an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario lifted its holdings in Northern Trust by 47.9% during the 3rd quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 6,794 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $612,000 after buying an additional 2,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IHT Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northern Trust during the 3rd quarter worth about $297,000. 83.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Northern Trust

In related news, EVP Thomas A. South sold 3,804 shares of Northern Trust stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total transaction of $429,852.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 81,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,242,722. This trade represents a 4.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Peter Cherecwich sold 26,132 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.36, for a total transaction of $2,936,191.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 26,586 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,987,202.96. This trade represents a 49.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 35,335 shares of company stock valued at $3,970,211 over the last three months. 0.77% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Northern Trust Trading Down 5.0 %

NASDAQ:NTRS opened at $86.01 on Friday. Northern Trust Co. has a 52-week low of $79.32 and a 52-week high of $114.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $105.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $103.08. The company has a market capitalization of $16.83 billion, a PE ratio of 8.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.10.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The asset manager reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.30. Northern Trust had a net margin of 12.77% and a return on equity of 13.74%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Northern Trust Co. will post 8.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northern Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Northern Trust’s payout ratio is 30.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Northern Trust from $136.00 to $132.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Northern Trust from $113.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Northern Trust from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Northern Trust from $119.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Northern Trust from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $112.31.

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.