Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $3.42 Million Stock Holdings in NIKE, Inc. $NKE

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lessened its holdings in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 78.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 53,694 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after selling 197,176 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in NIKE were worth $3,421,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP acquired a new stake in shares of NIKE in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,200,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in shares of NIKE in the 4th quarter valued at $43,188,000. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NIKE in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,743,000. Nicholas Company Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of NIKE by 33.3% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Park National Corp OH boosted its holdings in shares of NIKE by 81.5% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of NIKE in a report on Monday, April 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of NIKE in a report on Monday, May 11th. Barclays reduced their target price on NIKE from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of NIKE in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reduced their target price on NIKE from $65.00 to $55.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, NIKE presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $62.04.

Insider Transactions at NIKE

In other news, Director Timothy D. Cook bought 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $42.43 per share, for a total transaction of $1,060,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 130,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,536,266.40. This trade represents a 23.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Elliott Hill bought 23,660 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $42.27 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,108.20. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 265,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,211,990.69. This trade represents a 9.79% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have bought a total of 64,441 shares of company stock valued at $2,734,204 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

NIKE Price Performance

NIKE stock opened at $44.85 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market capitalization of $66.42 billion, a PE ratio of 29.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.12. NIKE, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.35 and a 12 month high of $80.17. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $46.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $57.04.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The footwear maker reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $11.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.23 billion. NIKE had a return on equity of 16.41% and a net margin of 4.84%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.54 earnings per share. Analysts expect that NIKE, Inc. will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

NIKE Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. NIKE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 108.61%.

NIKE 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).