Wedbush Securities Inc. Purchases 39,059 Shares of NIKE, Inc. $NKE

Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its position in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 52.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 113,637 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after buying an additional 39,059 shares during the quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in NIKE were worth $4,665,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NKE. J. Stern & Co. LLP boosted its holdings in NIKE by 49,010.4% during the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 48,054,542 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $3,061,555,000 after acquiring an additional 47,956,692 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of NIKE in the fourth quarter valued at about $829,956,000. Flossbach Von Storch SE bought a new position in shares of NIKE in the second quarter worth about $488,714,000. Harris Associates L P bought a new position in shares of NIKE in the second quarter worth about $621,525,000. Finally, Capital World Investors lifted its position in shares of NIKE by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 49,069,951 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $3,126,246,000 after purchasing an additional 6,830,938 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.25% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on NKE. Evercore set a $46.00 target price on NIKE and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of NIKE from $46.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of NIKE from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of NIKE from $67.00 to $52.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of NIKE in a report on Thursday, June 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, twenty have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $52.94.

NIKE News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Traders purchased 182,729 NKE call options, 59% above typical daily call volume. The activity may reflect increased bullish speculation, although options positioning does not guarantee sustained buying in the shares.
• Positive Sentiment: Grupo SBF extended its exclusive Nike distribution agreement in Brazil through 2034. The longer arrangement provides continued access to an important Latin American market and supports Nike’s regional distribution network. Grupo SBF Extends Exclusive Nike Distribution Deal in Brazil to 2034
• Neutral Sentiment: NIKE said it will release fiscal first-quarter 2027 results on October 1 after the market close, followed by a management conference call. Investors will look for evidence that the company’s turnaround is improving sales, inventory levels and margins. NIKE Announces First Quarter Fiscal 2027 Earnings and Conference Call
• Neutral Sentiment: NIKE appointed Walmart veteran Jane Ewing as chief commercial officer to help lead its comeback. The hire could strengthen execution and retail strategy, but investors are likely to want measurable results before assigning significant value to the turnaround. Nike Taps Walmart Veteran to Help Drive Comeback
• Negative Sentiment: Reports say Nike’s China business continues to shrink as domestic competitors gain market share and the brand struggles to remain locally relevant. China weakness threatens a key source of long-term growth. Why America’s Biggest Brands Keep Losing in China
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continue to cite soft consumer confidence, weaker traffic, excess legacy inventory and doubts about product innovation. These concerns reinforce expectations for a prolonged recovery and have contributed to reduced price targets and bearish sentiment.

Insider Buying and Selling at NIKE

In other news, insider Amy Montagne sold 4,867 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.05, for a total value of $204,657.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 57,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,415,183.80. This represents a 7.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Venkatesh Alagirisamy sold 890 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.60, for a total value of $37,024.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 74,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,112,512. This trade represents a 1.18% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 26,142 shares of company stock worth $1,169,380 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

NIKE Stock Up 2.9%

Shares of NKE stock opened at $39.57 on Friday. NIKE, Inc. has a one year low of $38.17 and a one year high of $79.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $41.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.11. The stock has a market cap of $58.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.11.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 30th. The footwear maker reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.09. NIKE had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 16.54%. The company had revenue of $10.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.14 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that NIKE, Inc. will post 1.74 earnings per share for the current year.

NIKE Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. NIKE’s dividend payout ratio is 78.47%.

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).