Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Sells 844 Shares of Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lessened its holdings in Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,697 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 844 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Northern Trust were worth $1,096,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Northern Trust by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 2,483 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Northern Trust by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 5,121 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $525,000 after buying an additional 793 shares during the period. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northern Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $235,000. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in Northern Trust by 51.2% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 378 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Northern Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $289,000. 83.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on NTRS shares. StockNews.com raised Northern Trust from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised 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. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $103.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Northern Trust from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northern Trust has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $110.75.

Northern Trust Price Performance

Shares of NTRS opened at $110.92 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $105.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $96.40. Northern Trust Co. has a 12-month low of $76.67 and a 12-month high of $111.87. The stock has a market cap of $21.99 billion, a PE ratio of 13.80, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.30. Northern Trust had a net margin of 10.92% and a return on equity of 12.75%. Analysts anticipate that Northern Trust Co. will post 7.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northern Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.70%. Northern Trust’s payout ratio is 37.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Peter Cherecwich sold 16,153 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.18, for a total transaction of $1,698,972.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 4,397 shares in the company, valued at $462,476.46. This trade represents a 78.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Thomas A. South sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.80, for a total value of $529,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 49,756 shares in the company, valued at $5,264,184.80. The trade was a 9.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 30,253 shares of company stock valued at $3,238,073 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

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.