NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the thirty-seven analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $78.1379.

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen upgraded shares of NIKE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $62.00 to $85.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $65.00 price target on NIKE and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on NIKE from $78.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $85.00 price objective on shares of NIKE and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Cowen upgraded shares of NIKE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th.

Key Headlines Impacting NIKE

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple CEO and Nike director Timothy D. Cook substantially increased his personal stake (50,000 shares, roughly $2.95M), a high‑profile insider buy that traders interpret as a vote of confidence. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Another director, Robert Holmes Swan, also purchased shares (~8,691 shares, ~$500k), reinforcing the insider accumulation narrative that’s buoying sentiment. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call‑option volume points to speculative/hedged bullish positioning into the move, amplifying upward pressure in the short term. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street coverage remains mixed-to-supportive: several buy/overweight ratings and mid‑range price targets exist, but consensus targets sit below earlier highs — useful context for medium‑term holders. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Technically the stock is deeply oversold (RSI readings flagged by market pieces), which can attract bargain hunters even as fundamentals are reassessed. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent earnings beat was overshadowed by weak outlook items: China demand softness, tariff pressures and margin compression have driven the recent selloff and weigh on near‑term earnings visibility. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and commentary about margin deterioration and high payout ratios increase downside risk until the turnaround shows sustained improvement. Read More.

Insider Buying and Selling at NIKE

In related news, Director Robert Holmes Swan acquired 8,691 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $57.54 per share, for a total transaction of $500,080.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 43,293 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,491,079.22. This trade represents a 25.12% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Timothy D. Cook bought 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $58.97 per share, for a total transaction of $2,948,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 105,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,220,155.60. The trade was a 90.12% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 74,841 shares of company stock worth $4,451,334. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in NIKE by 388.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 202,411 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $15,316,000 after purchasing an additional 160,980 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in shares of NIKE by 961.8% in the first quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 807 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 731 shares during the period. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC boosted its position in shares of NIKE by 74.4% in the first quarter. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC now owns 5,304 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $337,000 after purchasing an additional 2,263 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new stake in shares of NIKE in the first quarter worth $329,000. Finally, TCM Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of NIKE by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. TCM Advisors LLC now owns 11,500 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $730,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. 64.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NIKE Stock Performance

Shares of NKE stock opened at $60.08 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.34, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $64.48 and a 200 day moving average of $69.35. NIKE has a 52 week low of $52.28 and a 52 week high of $82.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The footwear maker reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $12.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.19 billion. NIKE had a net margin of 5.43% and a return on equity of 18.43%. NIKE’s revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.78 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that NIKE will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current year.

NIKE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a $0.41 dividend. This is a boost from NIKE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. NIKE’s payout ratio is currently 96.47%.

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).