NIKE (NYSE:NKE) Raised to “Hold” at Benchmark

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Benchmark to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on NKE. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of NIKE in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group set a $42.00 price target on NIKE and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $45.00 price objective on shares of NIKE in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on NIKE from $45.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $44.00 target price on NIKE and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, NIKE currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.41.

NIKE Stock Performance

NIKE stock opened at $35.95 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $39.91 and a 200-day moving average of $43.78. The company has a market capitalization of $53.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.10. NIKE has a 1 year low of $35.35 and a 1 year high of $76.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The footwear maker reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $10.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.85 billion. NIKE had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 16.54%. The company’s revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.14 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that NIKE will post 1.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other NIKE 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 transaction of $204,657.35. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 57,436 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,415,183.80. This represents a 7.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Venkatesh Alagirisamy sold 3,671 shares of NIKE stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.59, for a total transaction of $137,992.89. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 104,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,941,762.58. This represents a 3.38% 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 sold a total of 14,974 shares of company stock valued at $600,126 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NIKE

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NKE. Westerkirk Capital Inc. increased its holdings in NIKE by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Westerkirk Capital Inc. now owns 131,220 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $8,360,000 after buying an additional 45,100 shares during the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its holdings in shares of NIKE by 77.9% in the 4th quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 2,526,179 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $160,943,000 after purchasing an additional 1,106,499 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in NIKE by 32.8% in the second quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 244,296 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $10,028,000 after purchasing an additional 60,375 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in NIKE by 8.0% during the second quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 3,566,634 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $146,410,000 after purchasing an additional 264,576 shares during the period. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in NIKE by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 731,159 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $46,582,000 after buying an additional 107,282 shares during the last quarter. 64.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting NIKE

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research reaffirmed its “buy” rating and maintained a $55 price target, implying substantial upside from current levels if Nike’s recovery gains traction. Nike Gears Up For Q1 Print
• Positive Sentiment: JD Sports’ finance chief said Nike remains a strong brand and that its turnaround efforts are moving in the right direction, offering support for the company’s long-term recovery narrative. Britain’s JD Sports says Nike turnaround is only a matter of time
• Neutral Sentiment: Benchmark upgraded Nike to “hold,” while analysts are revising forecasts ahead of the October 1 report. The earnings release is expected to provide important evidence on margins, performance footwear and management’s recovery plan. Nike analyst rating update
• Negative Sentiment: Sales remain under pressure, particularly in Nike’s lifestyle business. Investors are watching channel inventories, promotional activity and wholesale sell-through to determine whether the turnaround can overcome subdued demand. Nike Heads Into Q1 2027 Results With Sales Still Under Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays and Stifel have reduced their price targets ahead of earnings, reflecting concerns that growth recovery will take longer than expected and that weak demand could limit near-term earnings momentum. Nike stock in focus as Barclays cuts price target
• Negative Sentiment: Nike shares have fallen roughly 42% year to date and remain below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Commentary warning investors not to buy yet highlights expectations for a prolonged recovery, despite the stock’s lower valuation. Don’t Buy Nike Stock Yet

About NIKE

NIKE, Inc is a global athletic footwear, apparel and equipment company headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon. The company designs, develops and markets products under the NIKE, Jordan and Converse brands, serving athletes and consumers across a broad range of sports and lifestyle categories.

NIKE’s offerings include athletic and casual footwear, sportswear, apparel, accessories and athletic equipment. The company distributes its products through company-owned retail stores, digital platforms, wholesale partners and independent distributors.