American Century Companies Inc. Has $306.79 Million Stake in Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS)

American Century Companies Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) by 26.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,993,113 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 1,068,259 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 1.51% of Northern Trust worth $306,794,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of NTRS. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Northern Trust by 7.7% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 4,094 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $369,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Northern Trust by 31.6% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 81,774 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $7,362,000 after buying an additional 19,655 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Northern Trust by 2.6% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 15,936 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,437,000 after buying an additional 402 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in Northern Trust in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,071,000. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board acquired a new position in Northern Trust in the third quarter valued at approximately $390,000. 83.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $92.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “sell” 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 report on Tuesday, February 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $138.00 to $136.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Northern Trust from $107.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $113.50.

Insider Activity at Northern Trust

In related news, EVP Thomas A. South sold 3,804 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total value of $429,852.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 81,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,242,722. This trade represents a 4.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jason J. Tyler sold 2,237 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.67, for a total transaction of $252,042.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 58,449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,585,448.83. This trade represents a 3.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 35,335 shares of company stock valued at $3,970,211. Corporate insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

Northern Trust Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NTRS stock opened at $98.77 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $107.42 and a 200-day moving average of $102.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Northern Trust Co. has a 12-month low of $79.32 and a 12-month high of $114.67. The company has a market capitalization of $19.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.07.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The asset manager reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.30. Northern Trust had a net margin of 12.77% and a return on equity of 13.74%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Northern Trust Co. 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 Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Northern Trust’s dividend payout ratio is 30.67%.

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.