Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Has $6.25 Million Stock Position in Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) by 17,074.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 74,021 shares of the asset manager’s stock after buying an additional 73,590 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Northern Trust were worth $6,246,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in shares of Northern Trust by 8.1% in the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 597,143 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $41,489,000 after buying an additional 44,516 shares during the period. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. increased its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 51.3% in the 4th quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. now owns 70,384 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $5,939,000 after purchasing an additional 23,859 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northern Trust in the fourth quarter worth approximately $227,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 2.4% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 12,962 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $907,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. Finally, Pathstone Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Northern Trust during the third quarter valued at approximately $715,000. 83.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Northern Trust

In other Northern Trust news, insider Steven L. Fradkin sold 4,097 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.56, for a total value of $338,248.32. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 46,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,804,199.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Steven L. Fradkin sold 30,392 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.11, for a total value of $2,434,703.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 55,707 shares in the company, valued at $4,462,687.77. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Steven L. Fradkin sold 4,097 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.56, for a total value of $338,248.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 46,078 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,804,199.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on NTRS shares. TheStreet raised shares of Northern Trust from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Friday, January 12th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Northern Trust from $72.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Northern Trust from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $86.00 price target (up previously from $82.00) on shares of Northern Trust in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Northern Trust from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $84.92.

Northern Trust Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NTRS traded up $1.12 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $84.62. The stock had a trading volume of 927,129 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,347,284. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.68, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71. Northern Trust Co. has a 1-year low of $62.44 and a 1-year high of $89.25. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $83.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $79.95.

Northern Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.55%. Northern Trust’s payout ratio is 66.23%.

About Northern Trust

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.