Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Acquires 1,367 Shares of Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS)

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 155,574 shares of the asset manager’s stock after buying an additional 1,367 shares during the period. Northern Trust comprises approximately 1.9% of Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Northern Trust were worth $13,065,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NTRS. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Northern Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in Northern Trust in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Northern Trust by 10,566.7% during the fourth quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management now owns 320 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Northern Trust in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Northern Trust by 343.9% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 435 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 337 shares during the period. 83.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on NTRS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Northern Trust from $86.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Northern Trust from $92.00 to $85.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Northern Trust from $97.00 to $93.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Northern Trust from $94.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $88.75.

Northern Trust Stock Up 0.9 %

NASDAQ:NTRS opened at $88.24 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $87.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $84.99. The company has a market capitalization of $18.05 billion, a PE ratio of 19.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.08. Northern Trust Co. has a 1-year low of $62.44 and a 1-year high of $92.46.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The asset manager reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.03. Northern Trust had a net margin of 10.53% and a return on equity of 12.24%. The business had revenue of $2.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.79 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 53.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Northern Trust Co. will post 7.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northern Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. Northern Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.23%.

Insider Transactions at Northern Trust

In related news, EVP Mark C. Gossett sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.90, for a total value of $533,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 28,707 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,552,052.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Northern Trust news, EVP Mark C. Gossett sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.90, for a total transaction of $533,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 28,707 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,552,052.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa Parker sold 5,883 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.06, for a total transaction of $494,524.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 83,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,041,285.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

Northern Trust 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.