Insider Buying: NIKE (NYSE:NKE) Director Purchases $2,948,500.00 in Stock

NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) Director Timothy Cook acquired 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $58.97 per share, for a total transaction of $2,948,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 105,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,220,155.60. This represents a 90.12% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

NIKE Trading Up 4.8%

Shares of NIKE stock opened at $60.08 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $64.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.29. NIKE, Inc. has a 12-month low of $52.28 and a 12-month high of $82.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market cap of $88.80 billion, a PE ratio of 35.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.29.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The footwear maker reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $12.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.19 billion. NIKE had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 5.43%.The company’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.78 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that NIKE, Inc. will post 2.05 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. 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 dividend yield of 2.7%. NIKE’s dividend payout ratio is presently 96.47%.

Key Headlines Impacting NIKE

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple CEO/director Timothy Cook doubled his personal stake (~50,000 shares, ~$2.9M), a high‑visibility insider buy that lifted investor confidence and helped spark the rally. Tim Cook purchase
• Positive Sentiment: Another director, Robert Holmes Swan, also bought ~8,691 shares (~$500k), adding to the insider accumulation narrative that supports near‑term sentiment. Holmes Swan Form 4
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual call‑option activity showed traders positioning for upside, magnifying the short‑term lift in the stock. Options flow story
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus remains a “Moderate Buy” with mixed price targets; some firms reiterate constructive long‑term views while others are more cautious — useful context but not decisive by itself. Analyst consensus
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts trimmed price targets (Argus cut to $70; Daiwa to $61), reflecting concerns about near‑term growth and margins and putting downward pressure on valuation expectations. Argus PT cut Daiwa PT cut
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/industry writeups warn of persistent margin compression, China demand weakness and a high payout ratio — themes that drove the earlier post‑earnings selloff and limit near‑term upside. Margin concerns analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Operational hiccups (e.g., a trademark snag around a nostalgia product critical to World Cup plans) add execution risk for key seasonal initiatives. WSJ trademark hitch

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on shares of NIKE from $78.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 19th. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on shares of NIKE from $38.00 to $35.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of NIKE in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. KeyCorp set a $90.00 price target on NIKE and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on NIKE from $100.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $75.84.

NIKE Company Profile

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).