Northern Trust Co. (NASDAQ:NTRS) was upgraded by equities researchers at RBC Capital from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report issued on Thursday, The Fly reports. The brokerage presently has a $75.00 target price on the stock. RBC Capital’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 27.57% from the company’s current price. The analysts noted that the move was a valuation call.

Shares of Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) traded down 2.70% during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $58.79. 2,031,973 shares of the company were exchanged. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $69.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $71.84. Northern Trust has a 52-week low of $58.74 and a 52-week high of $79.25. The company has a market capitalization of $13.48 billion and a PE ratio of 14.73.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 20th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.08. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.94 EPS. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.16 billion. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Northern Trust will post $4.14 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 2nd.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $90.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 14th. Deutsche Bank dropped their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 19th. Jefferies Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $71.00 price objective on shares of Northern Trust in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Credit Suisse reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $74.00 price objective on shares of Northern Trust in a research report on Wednesday, December 16th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $71.00 price objective on shares of Northern Trust in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $75.25.

A number of hedge funds and institutional investors recently made changes to their positions in NTRS. Simplex Trading raised its position in shares of Northern Trust by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Simplex Trading now owns 2 shares of the company’s stock valued at $0 after buying an additional 1 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Northern Trust during the fourth quarter valued at $0. Gerstein Fisher raised its position in shares of Northern Trust by 3.6% in the third quarter. Gerstein Fisher now owns 3,487 shares of the company’s stock valued at $238,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. DNB Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Northern Trust during the fourth quarter valued at $750,673. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services raised its position in shares of Northern Trust by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services now owns 12,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $916,000 after buying an additional 290 shares in the last quarter.

Northern Trust Corporation is a financial holding company. The Company provides asset servicing, fund administration, asset management, fiduciary and banking solutions for corporations, institutions, families and individuals around the world. The Company’s operating segments include Corporate & Institutional Services (NASDAQ:NTRS), Wealth Management and Treasury and Other. The Company has a network of offices in 19 states in the United States, Washington, D.C. and 20 international locations in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. Asset Management, through the Company’s various subsidiaries, supports the C&IS and Wealth Management segments by providing a range of asset management and related services and other products to customers around the world. The Company’s subsidiary is The Northern Trust Company.

12 Month Chart for NASDAQ:NTRS

The Fly

Frustrated with your broker? Are you tired of paying high fees? Do you feel like you are getting ripped off by your stock broker? It's time for a change. Find out which brokerage is best for your personal trading style at the InvestorPlace Broker Center. Compare brokers at a glance in the InvestorPlace Broker Center (Click Here).

Receive News & Ratings for Northern Trust Co. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Northern Trust Co. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.