NIKE (NYSE:NKE) Receives “Buy” Rating from DZ Bank

DZ Bank reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of NIKE (NYSE:NKE) in a report released on Friday morning,MarketScreener Latest Ratings reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Piper Sandler set a $75.00 price objective on NIKE and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Zacks Research raised shares of NIKE from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. UBS Group set a $62.00 price objective on shares of NIKE and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of NIKE from $84.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $85.00 target price on NIKE and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, NIKE currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $78.14.

NIKE Trading Down 10.4%

Shares of NKE stock opened at $58.80 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $86.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.59, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a 50 day moving average of $65.05 and a 200-day moving average of $69.40. NIKE has a 12-month low of $52.28 and a 12-month high of $82.44.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The footwear maker reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.16. NIKE had a return on equity of 18.61% and a net margin of 5.43%.The business had revenue of $12.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. NIKE’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that NIKE will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current year.

NIKE Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be issued a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. This is an increase from NIKE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. NIKE’s payout ratio is currently 84.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other NIKE news, Chairman Mark G. Parker sold 86,078 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.80, for a total value of $5,577,854.40. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 647,615 shares in the company, valued at $41,965,452. This represents a 11.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jorgen Vig Knudstorp purchased 16,150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $62.09 per share, with a total value of $1,002,753.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 21,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,327,980.92. The trade was a 308.32% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NIKE

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. grew its position in NIKE by 1.0% during the second quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 14,176 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $1,007,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its position in NIKE by 4.2% during the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,441 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $244,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the period. St. Clair Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of NIKE by 0.9% during the third quarter. St. Clair Advisors LLC now owns 15,217 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $1,061,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. increased its holdings in shares of NIKE by 6.3% in the second quarter. Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. now owns 2,390 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $170,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its stake in shares of NIKE by 10.1% in the 2nd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 1,575 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $120,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. 64.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NIKE News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat on top and bottom line — Nike reported $12.4B in revenue and $0.53 EPS, both ahead of expectations, showing resilience in demand overall. Nike Beats on Earnings But Struggles in China and Faces Tariffs
• Positive Sentiment: North America strength and product wins — North American sales rose ~9% and running category grew ~20%, supporting the turnaround thesis for key categories. Nike’s China conundrum deepens
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst mix — Some firms reaffirm buys (Guggenheim, Needham/Buys remain) while others cut price targets or mark to market; Berenberg reiterated neutral with a $70 PT. This leaves Street views mixed but not uniformly bearish. MarketScreener Latest Ratings
• Negative Sentiment: Tariff and margin pressure — Gross margin fell ~300 bps (to ~40.6%) and management flagged substantial tariff headwinds (reported ~$1.5B FY impact) and guidance for further margin contraction next quarter. Nike Plunges 11% As Tariffs, China Woes Cloud Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: China slump — Greater China sales plunged (~16–20% reported across outlets), with Chinese DTC digital revenue down sharply, raising concerns that Nike’s China playbook isn’t yet working. Nike is struggling to stay culturally relevant in China
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance and investor reaction — Management guided to low‑single‑digit revenue declines next quarter and warned of margin headwinds; markets focused on that guidance and tariffs, driving heavy selling and large intraday volume. Nike says turnaround plans are ‘in the middle innings’

About NIKE

Nike, Inc (NYSE: NKE) is a global designer, marketer and distributor of athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories. Founded in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman and renamed Nike in 1971, the company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon. Nike develops and commercializes products across performance and lifestyle categories for sports including running, basketball, soccer and training, and is known for signature technologies and design-driven product lines.

The company markets products under several primary brands, including Nike, Jordan and Converse, and sells through a combination of wholesale relationships, branded retail stores and direct-to-consumer channels such as company-operated stores and digital platforms (e.g., Nike.com and mobile apps).