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Northern Trust Corporation (NTRS)
NASDAQ:NTRS

Northern (NTRS) AI Stock Analysis

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NTRS

Northern

(NASDAQ:NTRS)

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Outperform 73 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:73Outperform
Price Target:
$161.00
â–²(7.15% Upside)
The score is driven primarily by solid financial performance (strong margins and free cash flow growth, improved leverage) and supportive technicals (price above key moving averages with positive momentum). Valuation is reasonable but not especially cheap, while the earnings call adds an incremental boost due to raised targets and shareholder return plans, tempered by expense and capital/deposit risks.
Positive Factors
AI Integration and Efficiency Gains
The integration of AI across operations enhances efficiency, reducing costs and improving service delivery, which strengthens competitive positioning.
Wealth Management Expansion
Growth in wealth management assets indicates strong client retention and acquisition, supporting long-term revenue stability and market leadership.
Asset Servicing Growth
Increased assets under custody and administration suggest robust demand for services, enhancing recurring revenue streams and market presence.
Negative Factors
Declining Revenue Growth
A declining revenue growth rate could signal challenges in maintaining market share and competitive pressure, impacting long-term profitability.
Asset Management Fee Pressure
Fee pressure in asset management could reduce profitability margins, affecting the company's ability to invest in growth and innovation.
Investment Product Challenges
Challenges in investment products may hinder growth in AUM and revenue, affecting the company's competitive edge and market positioning.

Northern (NTRS) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Northern Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionNorthern 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. This segment serves corporate and public retirement funds, foundations, endowments, fund managers, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, and other institutional investors. The Wealth Management segment offers trust, investment management, custody, and philanthropic; financial consulting; guardianship and estate administration; family business consulting; family financial education; brokerage services; and private and business banking services. This segment serves high-net-worth individuals and families, business owners, executives, professionals, retirees, and established privately held businesses. The company also provides asset management services, such as active and passive equity; active and passive fixed income; cash management; alternative asset classes comprising private equity and hedge funds of funds; and multi-manager advisory services and products through separately managed accounts, bank common and collective funds, registered investment companies, exchange traded funds, non-U.S. collective investment funds, and unregistered private investment funds. In addition, it offers overlay and other risk management services. Northern Trust Corporation was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
How the Company Makes MoneyNorthern Trust generates revenue primarily through its asset management and asset servicing divisions. The company earns fees based on assets under management (AUM) from investment management services, which include mutual funds, private equity, and hedge fund management. Additionally, Northern Trust provides custody and administration services that generate recurring revenue from institutional clients through service fees. The firm also engages in wealth management, charging clients for investment advice, planning, and related services. Strategic partnerships with financial institutions and investment firms enhance its service offerings and expand its client base, contributing to its overall earnings. Furthermore, Northern Trust leverages technology solutions, offering platforms that integrate with client operations, which adds to its revenue through technology fees and enhanced service capabilities.

Northern Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Jan 22, 2026
(Q4-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Apr 21, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call presented strong underlying operating performance and strategic progress: record NII, solid fee growth excluding notables, AUC/AUM expansion, productivity gains and continued product and distribution momentum across wealth, asset servicing and asset management. These positives were partly offset by Q4 notable charges (notably severance), higher reported expenses, an expense-to-trust-fee ratio slightly above target, and some balance sheet/capital and deposit normalization risks. On balance, management signaled confidence by raising medium-term targets and returning significant capital to shareholders while planning further productivity and AI-driven efficiencies.
Q4-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Revenue and Fee Growth (Excluding Notables)
Fourth quarter revenue up 9% year-over-year excluding notables; full-year 2025 revenue up 7% excluding notables. Trust, investment and other servicing fees grew 7% year-over-year in the quarter.
Record Net Interest Income and NIM Improvement
Net interest income (FTE) reached a record $654 million in Q4, up 10% sequentially and 14% year-over-year. Net interest margin improved sequentially to 1.81% (noting a one-time FTE true-up impact).
Strong Profitability Metrics (Excluding Notables)
Excluding notables, pretax margin expanded to ~33% in Q4 and 30% for the full year; Q4 EPS grew 19% (excluding notables) and full-year EPS grew 17% (excluding notables). Return on equity excluding notables was in the mid-teens (14.8% cited for the year).
AUC/AUM Growth and Asset Metrics
Assets under custody and administration increased 11% year-over-year (Q4 AUC/A $17.4 trillion for asset servicing); assets under management were up 12% year-over-year overall and wealth management AUM reached $507 billion, up 13% year-over-year.
Capital Returns to Shareholders
Returned $1.9 billion to shareholders in 2025, including a record $1.3 billion of share repurchases which reduced share count by 5%; payout ratios were ~113% in Q4 and 111% for the full year.
Productivity and Operating Efficiency Gains
Productivity savings represented more than 4% of the expense base in 2025; COO organization increased managerial spans of control by over 35% and reduced management layers by over 20%. Management plans to raise the productivity target by 10% for 2026.
Business Unit Momentum — Wealth, Asset Servicing, and Asset Management
Wealth: GFO achieved record new business and international flows up 15%; wealth trust fees $578M in Q4, up 6% year-over-year. Asset Servicing: fees up 8% YoY, custody & fund admin fees up 9% YoY; pretax profit grew 23% YoY (40% excluding severance). Asset Management: 12th consecutive quarter of positive flows, liquidity AUM nearly $340 billion, doubled product launches YoY (including 11 ETFs) and $5 billion net flows in tax-advantaged equity suite.
Strategic Progress: One Northern Trust & AI Adoption
Management highlighted cross-business collaboration, expanded private markets footprint and capital markets penetration (now >1/3 of enterprise revenue). Accelerated AI deployment (NT Byron) and automation expected to drive scalability and further expense efficiencies.
Negative Updates
Net Unfavorable Notables and Impact on Reported Results
Q4 included $69 million in net unfavorable notable items (including $59M severance and $19M Visa swap expense). Including all notables, full-year 2025 revenue decreased 2% and EPS declined 11% versus 2024 (prior year included large favorable notables).
Expense Growth and Expense-to-Trust-Fee Ratio
Reported expenses increased 9% year-over-year in Q4; excluding notables they were up 5% (3.8% excluding notables and unfavorable currency). Expense-to-trust-fee ratio was 110.8% excluding notables — slightly above management's target of below 110%.
Severance Charges and Segment Margin Pressure
Q4 severance-related expense (~$59M) weighed on results: wealth management pretax profit decreased 3% year-over-year and pretax margin contracted 300 basis points to 38.9% (120 bps contraction excluding severance). Asset servicing margins were also affected but improved excluding severance.
Full-Year Reported Performance vs. Excluding Notables
When including notables, full-year reported metrics were weaker (revenue down 2%, EPS down 11%), highlighting sensitivity to discrete items and creating volatility in headline results versus the stronger underlying trends.
Balance Sheet/Capital Considerations
Tier 1 leverage ratio declined 20 bps to 7.8% due to a larger balance sheet; unrealized after-tax AFS losses were $401 million at quarter end. Management returned >100% of earnings via buybacks/dividends, which requires continued monitoring of capital flexibility.
Deposit and Loan Volatility/Normalization Risk
Average deposits rose late in Q4 (to $119.8B), boosted by a surge related to the government shutdown and seasonal factors; management expects deposit levels to normalize in Q1. Wealth average loans fell 4% sequentially due to repayment of a large GFO loan; asset servicing loan volume down 8% YoY.
Tax Rate and Currency Impacts
Effective tax rate rose to 26.5% in Q4 (up ~30 bps YoY) with expected 2026 rate of ~26–26.5%. Currency movements modestly favored revenue (+90 bps YoY impact in Q4) but unfavorably impacted expenses (~140 bps in Q4), adding variability to reported trends.
Company Guidance
On guidance, Northern Trust now expects full‑year 2026 net interest income to grow low‑ to mid‑single digits (assuming current forward curves and a relatively stable deposit mix), plans to generate more than 100 basis points of positive operating leverage, and intends to return more than 100% of earnings to shareholders; it reiterated an expected 2026 effective tax rate of ~26–26.5%, is moving away from an expense‑growth target to focus on positive operating leverage and a downward direction of expense growth, raised medium‑term targets to a 33% pretax margin and return on equity in the mid‑teens while targeting expense‑to‑trust‑fees below 110%, seeks double‑digit EPS growth through cycles, and is boosting its 2026 productivity target by 10% after achieving productivity savings of more than 4% of the expense base in 2025 (medium‑term = three–five years).

Northern Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Overall financials are solid: healthy profitability (net margin 13.47%, EBIT margin 17.95%) and strong free cash flow growth (+20.09%) support the score. Offsetting factors include declining revenue growth (-3.2%) and some missing balance sheet/cash flow metrics that limit full transparency.
Income Statement
70
Positive
Northern's income statement shows a mixed performance. The TTM (Trailing-Twelve-Months) data indicates a decline in revenue growth rate by 3.2%, which is a concern. However, the company maintains a solid net profit margin of 13.47% and an EBIT margin of 17.95%, suggesting efficient cost management and profitability. The gross profit margin remains healthy at 45.97%, although it has decreased from previous years.
Balance Sheet
65
Positive
The balance sheet reflects a stable financial position with a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32 in the TTM period, significantly improved from previous years, indicating reduced leverage. Return on equity stands at 13.41%, showing good profitability relative to shareholder equity. However, the equity ratio is not provided, which limits a full assessment of asset financing.
Cash Flow
75
Positive
Cash flow analysis reveals a strong free cash flow growth rate of 20.09% in the TTM period, indicating improved cash generation. The free cash flow to net income ratio is 0.84, suggesting efficient conversion of income to cash. However, the operating cash flow to net income ratio is not available, which could provide further insights into cash flow stability.
BreakdownTTMDec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021Dec 2020
Income Statement
Total Revenue14.37B15.88B12.12B7.75B6.49B6.30B
Gross Profit7.93B8.29B6.75B6.75B6.55B5.98B
EBITDA3.06B3.38B2.10B2.32B2.53B2.13B
Net Income1.73B2.03B1.11B1.34B1.55B1.21B
Balance Sheet
Total Assets170.26B155.51B150.78B155.04B183.89B170.00B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments71.34B56.54B64.93B74.52B108.29B106.29B
Total Debt15.64B15.99B17.24B14.85B8.43B9.60B
Total Liabilities157.31B142.72B138.89B143.78B171.87B158.32B
Stockholders Equity12.96B12.79B11.90B11.26B12.02B11.69B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow1.71B-1.23B1.95B1.67B840.90M1.34B
Operating Cash Flow2.51B-486.00M2.63B2.39B1.36B1.90B
Investing Cash Flow-15.31B-2.56B4.78B25.93B-18.60B-29.92B
Financing Cash Flow11.19B3.44B-7.18B-26.44B16.07B27.87B

Northern Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price150.25
Price Trends
50DMA
138.11
Positive
100DMA
133.30
Positive
200DMA
123.34
Positive
Market Momentum
MACD
3.25
Negative
RSI
63.70
Neutral
STOCH
55.57
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For NTRS, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 150.25 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 145.18, above the 50-day MA of 138.11, and above the 200-day MA of 123.34, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 3.25 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 63.70 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 55.57 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for NTRS.

Northern Risk Analysis

Northern disclosed 1 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Northern reported the most risks in the "Legal & Regulatory" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Northern Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (68)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
78
Outperform
$81.81B16.0612.96%1.71%4.22%51.01%
76
Outperform
$10.36B15.5629.38%1.18%9.33%33.17%
75
Outperform
$22.98B11.4719.28%4.88%4.26%0.42%
74
Outperform
$13.30B27.973.84%5.33%2.31%5.71%
73
Outperform
$35.62B13.5811.07%2.43%5.62%49.49%
73
Outperform
$28.36B17.1613.37%2.21%-4.52%7.01%
68
Neutral
$18.00B11.429.92%3.81%9.73%1.22%
* Financial Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
NTRS
Northern
150.25
40.53
36.94%
BK
Bank of New York Mellon
118.90
34.18
40.35%
BEN
Franklin Resources
25.66
6.64
34.94%
SEIC
SEI Investments Company
86.10
1.09
1.28%
STT
State Street
128.02
28.76
28.98%
TROW
T Rowe Price
105.25
-4.80
-4.36%

Northern Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyFinancial Disclosures
Northern Trust posts stronger Q4 earnings and revenue
Positive
Jan 22, 2026

On January 22, 2026, Northern Trust reported that fourth-quarter 2025 net income rose to $466.0 million, or $2.42 per diluted share, up from $2.29 in the third quarter of 2025 and $2.26 a year earlier, as total revenue on a fully taxable equivalent basis increased 5% sequentially and 8% year-on-year to $2.14 billion. Results for the quarter reflected mid-single-digit growth in trust, investment and other servicing fees, double-digit growth in net interest income, and higher noninterest expense that included $58.8 million in severance-related charges offset in part by a $9.5 million release of a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation special assessment reserve, while return on average common equity reached 15.4% and assets under custody/administration climbed 11% year-on-year to $18.7 trillion, with management highlighting positive operating leverage, record capital returns to shareholders, and strong momentum entering 2026.

The most recent analyst rating on (NTRS) stock is a Buy with a $166.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Northern stock, see the NTRS Stock Forecast page.

Business Operations and StrategyPrivate Placements and Financing
Northern Trust Issues $1.25 Billion in Senior and Subordinated Notes
Neutral
Nov 19, 2025

On November 19, 2025, Northern Trust Corporation issued $500 million of 4.150% Senior Notes due 2030 and $750 million of 5.117% Fixed-to-Fixed Rate Subordinated Notes due 2040. The issuance of these notes, conducted through a public offering, is part of the company’s strategy to manage its debt obligations. The Senior Notes are unsecured and rank equally with other senior debt, while the Subordinated Notes are junior to other liabilities. This financial maneuver could impact Northern Trust’s capital structure and influence its market positioning by potentially enhancing liquidity and funding future growth initiatives.

The most recent analyst rating on (NTRS) stock is a Buy with a $142.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Northern stock, see the NTRS Stock Forecast page.

Business Operations and StrategyFinancial Disclosures
Northern Trust Q3 2025 Financial Results Released
Positive
Oct 22, 2025

Northern Trust Corporation reported its third-quarter 2025 financial results, showing a net income of $457.6 million and earnings per diluted common share of $2.29, an increase from the previous quarter and the same quarter last year. The company experienced solid revenue growth across trust fees, capital markets, and net interest income, contributing to a strong return on equity and positive operating leverage. The results reflect Northern Trust’s focus on its ‘One Northern Trust’ strategy, aiming to enhance shareholder value and maintain sound financial measures.

The most recent analyst rating on (NTRS) stock is a Hold with a $147.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Northern stock, see the NTRS Stock Forecast page.

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Jan 22, 2026