Northern Trust (NTRS)
Financials · $32.1B market cap · SEC CIK 0000073124
ahead of 83% of the S&P 500 · #16 of 76 in Financials
Next reports on Jan 21, 2027, after the close, with analysts expecting $3.13 in earnings per share.
52-week range $121.53 to $195.78. 9% below its 52-week high and 46% above its low.
The case for NTRS
- Revenue up 32.9% on the year.
- Cheap for its growth: 13.2× earnings, where 10%+ a year of growth plus a 3.9% dividend would justify about 29×.
- 23% of revenue drops through to net profit.
- Earnings per share up 47.5%.
- Pays a 3.9% dividend while you wait.
- Return on equity of 18%.
The case against
- Weakest against its peers: price/sales of 3.0× is higher than 64% of Financials companies.
- Its weakest area is stability (43/100): beta 1.23, a 38% swing over the year.
What the score is made of
Each factor is half a curve over reported figures and half a rank among the other Financials companies (momentum is judged against fixed thresholds only), and the five are blended by weight. The score is where that blend places it in the S&P 500. It describes the last filing and the current price. It is not a forecast.
| Valuewhat you pay for the earnings and cash, against the growth you get | 63 |
|---|---|
| Growthhow fast revenue and earnings are moving, this year and over five | 66 |
| Profitabilityhow much of the revenue becomes profit, and how much of that is cash | 80 |
| Momentumhow the price has behaved lately | 65 |
| Stabilityhow violently it moves, what it owes and what it pays you | 43 |
- Its debt and cash flow are not scored, as for every company in the Financials sector: for banks, insurers and brokers, borrowing is the business.
- Each factor except momentum is half fixed thresholds, half rank among the 76 Financials companies.
The financials
Revenue growth
Is the business growing? Yes
| Last 12 months | +32.9% |
|---|---|
| Over 5 years | +5.6% a year |
| FY2025 revenue | $8.1B (−2%) |
Free cash flow
Is it generating real cash? Not meaningful for a financial company
Profit margins
Is profitability improving? No, slipping
| Gross margin | 88% |
|---|---|
| Operating margin | 30% |
| Net margin, FY24 → FY25 → now | 24.5% → 21.5% → 23.1% |
Debt vs. cash
Is the balance sheet healthy? Not judged for a financial company
| Cash | $5.9B |
|---|---|
| Long-term debt | n/a |
| Net cash | n/a |
Valuation
Is the stock price reasonable? Yes, it looks cheap
| P/E | 13.2× |
|---|---|
| Fair P/E for its growth | 29× |
| Price / book | 2.32× |
| Fair P/B for its ROE | 1.8× |
| Forward P/E | 13.1× |
| EV / EBITDA | 34.6× |
At 13.2× earnings it trades well below the 29× that 10%+ a year of growth plus a 3.9% dividend would justify. At 2.32× book it trades above the 1.8× that its 18% return on equity would justify; for a financial company that counts for more than earnings.
The financials, five years deep
Pulled from Northern Trust's XBRL filings on SEC EDGAR. Italic rows are worked out from the others.
| FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | |||||
| Revenue | $8.1B | $8.3B | $6.8B | $6.8B | $6.5B |
| Change on the year | −2% | +22% | 0% | +5% | — |
| Free cash flow | |||||
| Free cash flow | $5.5B | −$588M | $2.5B | $2.3B | $1.3B |
| Of revenue | 68% | −7% | 37% | 33% | 19% |
| Profit margins | |||||
| Net margin | 21.5% | 24.5% | 16.3% | 19.8% | 23.9% |
| Debt vs. cash | |||||
| Cash | $5.9B | $4.7B | $4.8B | $4.7B | $3.1B |
Risk factors NTRS lists in its 10-K
- We are dependent on fee-based business for a majority of our revenues, which may be affected adversely by market volatility, a downturn in economic conditions, underperformance and/or negative trends in investment preferences
- Changes in interest rates could affect our earnings negatively
- Changes in the monetary, trade and other policies of various regulatory authorities, central banks, governments and international agencies may reduce our earnings and affect our growth prospects negatively
- Declines in the value of securities held in our investment portfolio could affect us negatively
- Changes in a number of particular market conditions, including in foreign currency exchange rates, cross-border investing activity and the demand for borrowing or lending securities, could affect our earnings negatively
- We are subject to many types of operational risks that could affect our earnings negatively
- Breaches of our security measures, including, but not limited to, those resulting from cyber-attacks
- or other information security incidents, may result in losses
- Our dependence on technology, and the need to update frequently our technology infrastructure, exposes us to risks that also can result in losses
- A failure or circumvention of our controls and procedures could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations
- Failure of any of our third-party vendors (or their vendors)
- We are subject to certain risks inherent in operating globally which may affect our business adversely
- Failure to control our costs and expenses adequately could affect our earnings negatively
- Pandemics, natural disasters, global climate change, acts of terrorism, geopolitical tensions, and global conflicts may have a negative impact on our business and operations
- Market volatility and/or weak economic conditions can result in losses or the need for additional provisions for credit losses, both of which reduce our earnings
- The failure or perceived weakness of any of our significant counterparties could expose us to loss
- If we do not manage our liquidity effectively, our business could suffer
- If the Bank is unable to supply the Corporation with funds over time, the Corporation could be unable to meet its various obligations
- We may need to raise additional capital in the future, which may not be available to us or may only be available on unfavorable terms
- Any downgrades in our credit ratings, or an actual or perceived reduction in our financial strength, could affect our borrowing costs, capital costs and liquidity adversely
- Failure to comply with regulations and/or supervisory expectations could result in penalties and regulatory constraints that restrict our ability to grow or even conduct our business, or that reduce earnings
- We are subject to complex and evolving laws, regulations, rules, standards and contractual obligations regarding data privacy and security, which could increase the cost of doing business, compliance risks and potential liability
- We may be impacted adversely by claims or litigation, including claims or litigation relating to our fiduciary responsibilities
- We may be impacted adversely by supervisory and/or regulatory enforcement matters
- We may fail to set aside adequate reserves for, or otherwise underestimate our liability relating to, pending and threatened claims, with a negative effect on our earnings
- The ultimate impact on us of regulatory divergence between the United Kingdom and the European Union remains uncertain
- If we fail to comply with legal standards, we could incur liability to our clients or lose clients, which could affect our earnings negatively
- If we are not able to attract, retain and motivate personnel, our business could be negatively affected
- If we do not develop and execute strategic plans successfully, our growth may be impacted negatively
- We are subject to intense competition in all aspects of our businesses, which could have a negative effect on our ability to maintain satisfactory prices and grow our earnings
- Damage to our reputation could have a direct and negative effect on our ability to compete, grow and generate revenue
- We need to invest in innovation constantly, and the inability or failure to do so may affect our businesses and earnings negatively
- Failure to understand or appreciate fully the risks associated with development or delivery of new product and service offerings may affect our businesses and earnings negatively
- Our success with large, complex clients requires an understanding of the market and legal, regulatory and accounting standards in various jurisdictions
- We may take actions to maintain client satisfaction that could result in losses or reduced earnings
- Our operations, businesses and clients could be materially adversely affected by the effects of climate change or concerns related thereto
- The systems and models we employ to analyze, monitor and mitigate risks, as well as for other business purposes, are inherently limited, may not be effective in all cases and, in any case, cannot eliminate all risks that we face
- Changes in tax laws and interpretations and challenges to our tax positions could affect our earnings negatively
- Changes in accounting standards may be difficult to predict and could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements