The takeaway
Northern Trust Corporation shows a pronounced seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in November (+8.3%) and softest in September (−2.1%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 80% of years, averaging +1.9% — essentially in line with the S&P 500.
The full picture
Northern Trust Corporation's most dependable month has been November, higher in 9 of 10 years; September has been its least reliable, up just 40% of the time.
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Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in November (+6.0 pts); it has trailed the market most in September (−2.0 pts).
“vs S&P” is Northern Trust Corporation’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Northern Trust Corporation’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, November has closed higher 80% of the time versus 90% across the last 10 years — the pattern is strengthening.
Figures are the typical (median) November return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 10(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 10-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
Dependability is the through-line here. November stands out, higher in 9 of 10 Novembers, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
Its average (+8.3%) and median (+7.8%) land within a hair of each other — the tell of steady, year-after-year gains rather than one outlier doing the work. Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: November has cleared the S&P 500 by +6.0 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages November only about 62% of the time.
The strength clusters rather than stands alone — October–December forms a firm stretch that carries much of the year. The weaker half of the year is plainer: September has been the soft spot — the weakest of 2 months that average a loss (−2.1%), and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in September, March, and December. Its roughest month on record was a −15.0% December in 2018 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
If anything it has sharpened recently — the last five Novembers run ahead of the earlier years.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: November aside, the stock's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the stock's best month (November), its worst (September), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a pronounced degree. Since 2016 its best month (November, +8.3%) has run well ahead of its worst (September, −2.1%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
November has been the strongest, averaging +8.3% and closing higher in 9 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −2.1% — historically a soft spot, though it still varies from year to year.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
Before you trade