Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Lowers Stake in NIKE, Inc. $NKE

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC reduced its holdings in shares of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 6.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 174,022 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after selling 12,049 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in NIKE were worth $11,087,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP acquired a new stake in NIKE in the third quarter valued at about $34,200,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in NIKE in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,188,000. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in NIKE in the third quarter valued at about $1,743,000. Nicholas Company Inc. lifted its position in NIKE by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. now owns 123,652 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $7,878,000 after purchasing an additional 30,890 shares during the period. Finally, Park National Corp OH lifted its position in NIKE by 81.5% in the fourth quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 431,055 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $27,463,000 after purchasing an additional 193,514 shares during the period. 64.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at NIKE

In other NIKE news, Director John W. Rogers, Jr. purchased 4,000 shares of NIKE stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 9th. The shares were bought at an average price of $43.34 per share, with a total value of $173,360.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 41,022 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,777,893.48. This trade represents a 10.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Elliott Hill purchased 23,660 shares of NIKE stock in a transaction on Monday, April 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $42.27 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,108.20. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 265,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,211,990.69. This represents a 9.79% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders bought a total of 64,441 shares of company stock worth $2,734,204 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NKE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore reduced their price objective on shares of NIKE from $69.00 to $57.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of NIKE from $110.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. DA Davidson downgraded shares of NIKE from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $72.00 to $46.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $45.00 price objective on shares of NIKE and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on shares of NIKE from $35.00 to $23.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $62.04.

NIKE Stock Down 0.3%

NKE stock opened at $43.66 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $64.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.12. NIKE, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.35 and a 52 week high of $80.17. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $45.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $56.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The footwear maker reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $11.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.23 billion. NIKE had a net margin of 4.84% and a return on equity of 16.41%. The firm’s revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.54 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that NIKE, Inc. will post 1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NIKE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. NIKE’s payout ratio is currently 108.61%.

NIKE News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Negative Sentiment: NIKE faces renewed pressure from inventory cleanup, sportswear weakness, and China headwinds that may keep sales and margins under strain. NKE Stock Slips Below 50-Day SMA: A Warning Sign for Investors?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded NIKE from hold to strong sell, which can weigh on investor sentiment. Zacks downgrade report
• Negative Sentiment: A DCF analysis from GuruFocus suggested NIKE may be trading well above its estimated intrinsic value, reinforcing valuation concerns. NKE DCF Analysis: Intrinsic Value $19 vs Price $44
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles noted that NIKE is attracting investor attention, but did not add new fundamental catalysts beyond general market interest. NIKE, Inc. (NKE) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: NIKE’s AI push and internal automation efforts highlight a longer-term efficiency strategy, but investors are still questioning near-term margin benefits and dividend strength. Nike’s AI Push Raises Questions On Margins And Dividend Strength
• Neutral Sentiment: NIKE’s upcoming connection to Lululemon’s CEO transition is notable, as incoming Lululemon CEO Heidi O’Neill will join after her NIKE non-compete expires, but the article is more relevant to LULU than NKE. Lululemon’s next CEO knows how to get it ‘back on track’: Analyst

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).