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Why Is Northern Trust Corporation (NTRS) Up 5.3% Since Last Earnings Report?

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It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Northern Trust Corporation (NTRS - Free Report) . Shares have added about 5.3% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500.

Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Northern Trust Corporation due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts.

Northern Trust Q2 Earnings Miss, Revenues Rise Y/Y

Northern Trust’s second-quarter 2022 earnings per share of $1.86 missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.90. Nonetheless, the bottom line improved 8% year over year.

Higher revenues, aided by a rise in trust, investment and other servicing fees, as well as NII, were the driving factors. Most credit metrics marked significant improvements. However, a rising expense base and weak capital ratios were headwinds.

Net income was $396.2 million, up 8% year over year.

Revenues Climb, Costs Shoot Up

On a fully-taxable-equivalent (“FTE”) basis, total revenues of $1.77 billion were up 12% year over year. The top line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.73 billion.

NII was $469.8 million on a FTE basis in the second quarter, gaining 37% year over year mainly on a favorable balance sheet mix shift and NIM. NIM on a FTE basis was 1.35%, increasing 38 basis points from the prior-year quarter.

Trust, investment and other servicing fees summed at $1.14 billion, up 6% year over year. Other non-interest income fell 2% from the year-ago quarter to $166.6 million.

Non-interest expenses increased 9% year over year to $1.22 billion in the second quarter. The upswing stemmed from an elevation in all components except for outside service and occupancy expenses.

AUM and AUC Fall

As of Jun 30, 2022, Northern Trust’s AUC declined 11% sequentially to $10.68 trillion, while AUM fell 12% to $1.30 trillion.

Credit Quality Improves

Credit metrics in the second quarter showed an improving trend. The total allowance for credit losses was $199.9 million, down 3% year over year. Total non-accrual assets plunged 15.8% to $89.8 million as of Jun 30, 2022. Net recoveries were $5.5 million compared with recoveries of $3.2 million in the year-ago quarter.

However, Northern Trust created provisions for credit losses of $4.5 million in the second quarter against reserve releases of $27 million in the prior-year quarter.

Capital Ratios Weak, Profitability Ratios Improve

Under the Standardized Approach, as of Jun 30, 2022, Common Equity Tier 1 capital ratio, total capital ratio and Tier 1 leverage ratio were 10.5%, 12.6% and 6.7% compared with 12%, 14.5% and 7.1%, respectively, in the prior-year quarter. All ratios exceeded regulatory requirements.

Return on average assets was 1.03%, up from 0.96% in the year-ago quarter. Also, the return on average common equity was 15.7% compared with the year-earlier quarter’s 13.7%.

Capital Deployment Activities

In the quarter, Northern Trust returned $148.3 million to its shareholders through share repurchases and dividends. Northern Trust repurchased $0.3 million of common stock under its share-repurchase program and declared cash dividends totaling $148 million to its common stockholders. Northern trust also cleared cash dividends worth $4.7 million to its preferred stockholders in the second quarter.

How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?

It turns out, fresh estimates have trended upward during the past month.

VGM Scores

At this time, Northern Trust Corporation has a poor Growth Score of F, however its Momentum Score is doing a bit better with a D. Following the exact same course, the stock was allocated a grade of D on the value side, putting it in the bottom 40% for this investment strategy.

Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of F. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.

Outlook

Estimates have been broadly trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. Notably, Northern Trust Corporation has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.

Performance of an Industry Player

Northern Trust Corporation is part of the Zacks Banks - Major Regional industry. Over the past month, U.S. Bancorp (USB - Free Report) , a stock from the same industry, has gained 2.9%. The company reported its results for the quarter ended June 2022 more than a month ago.

U.S. Bancorp reported revenues of $5.98 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +3.9%. EPS of $1.09 for the same period compares with $1.28 a year ago.

For the current quarter, U.S. Bancorp is expected to post earnings of $1.17 per share, indicating a change of -10% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed -1.6% over the last 30 days.

The overall direction and magnitude of estimate revisions translate into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for U.S. Bancorp. Also, the stock has a VGM Score of B.


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