California Public Employees Retirement System Boosts Stock Position in NIKE, Inc. $NKE

California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,354,319 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 58,655 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in NIKE were worth $164,167,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in NIKE by 697.5% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 228,889 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $15,960,000 after purchasing an additional 200,187 shares during the last quarter. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in NIKE in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,743,000. Soros Fund Management LLC grew its holdings in NIKE by 33.0% in the 2nd quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC now owns 302,320 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $21,477,000 after buying an additional 75,000 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in NIKE by 54.6% in the 3rd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 104,791 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $7,307,000 after buying an additional 37,019 shares during the period. Finally, Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Ve Gananot Havera Menahelet LTD increased its stake in shares of NIKE by 106.1% during the 3rd quarter. Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Ve Gananot Havera Menahelet LTD now owns 205,082 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $14,343,000 after acquiring an additional 105,569 shares during the last quarter. 64.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NKE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of NIKE in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price target on shares of NIKE from $75.00 to $72.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of NIKE in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Berenberg Bank reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of NIKE in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of NIKE from $100.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, NIKE has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert Holmes Swan purchased 8,691 shares of NIKE stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $57.54 per share, with a total value of $500,080.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 43,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,491,079.22. This trade represents a 25.12% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Timothy D. Cook acquired 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $58.97 per share, for a total transaction of $2,948,500.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 105,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,220,155.60. This represents a 90.12% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders acquired 75,079 shares of company stock valued at $4,449,887. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

NIKE Stock Down 0.2%

NKE opened at $54.00 on Monday. NIKE, Inc. has a 1 year low of $52.28 and a 1 year high of $80.17. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $62.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.06. The company has a market cap of $79.93 billion, a PE ratio of 31.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.27.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The footwear maker reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.16. NIKE had a net margin of 5.43% and a return on equity of 18.43%. The firm had revenue of $12.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.78 earnings per share. NIKE’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that NIKE, Inc. will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current year.

NIKE Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. NIKE’s payout ratio is presently 96.47%.

Key Stories Impacting NIKE

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays upgraded NKE to an Overweight, citing a clear North America recovery, stronger wholesale bookings, and a refreshed product pipeline that could drive margin recovery and re‑rating. This upgrade is the main bullish catalyst today. Barclays upgrades NIKE (NKE)
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets (MarketBeat, TheStreet) amplified the Barclays call, highlighting improving North America sales, inventory cleanup and product momentum — factors that could support upside if execution continues. Just Buy It? Barclays Thinks Nike Is Ready to Run
• Neutral Sentiment: Nike promoted Cimarron Nix to chief sustainability officer, adding supply‑chain and labor expertise to management — a governance/ESG move that may help long‑term brand and operational resilience but is unlikely to move near‑term earnings. Can Nike’s New Sustainability Chief Reframe NKE’s Long-Term Competitive Edge Story?
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term selling: recent coverage notes a bigger single‑day decline and extended multi‑month underperformance — investor skepticism persists despite the upgrade. That ongoing weakness is pressuring the stock. Nike (NKE) Registers a Bigger Fall Than the Market
• Negative Sentiment: Options market shows moderately bearish positioning and higher implied volatility, with elevated demand for downside protection — a signal that traders expect continued near‑term swings. Option traders moderately bearish in Nike
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish analyst/editorial pieces cite ongoing risks (China weakness, Converse reset, valuation concerns) and list reasons to sell — these narratives can keep downward pressure until clearer signs of global stabilization appear. 3 Reasons to Sell NKE

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).