Royal Bank Of Canada Reaffirms Outperform Rating for NIKE (NYSE:NKE)

Posted by Joseph Griffin on Mar 7th, 2026

NIKE (NYSE:NKE – Get Free Report)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reissued by equities researchers at Royal Bank Of Canada in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $78.00 price objective on the footwear maker’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 36.82% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on NKE. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of NIKE in a report on Monday, December 15th. Piper Sandler set a $75.00 target price on shares of NIKE and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Needham & Company LLC cut shares of NIKE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of NIKE in a research note on Wednesday, December 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of NIKE from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, NIKE has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.61.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on NKE

NIKE Trading Down 1.7%

NYSE NKE opened at $57.01 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $84.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.27. NIKE has a twelve month low of $52.28 and a twelve month high of $80.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The business’s fifty day moving average is $63.26 and its 200 day moving average is $66.47.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The footwear maker reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.16. NIKE had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 5.43%.The business had revenue of $12.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.78 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that NIKE will post 2.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Timothy D. Cook acquired 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $58.97 per share, for a total transaction of $2,948,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 105,480 shares in the company, valued at $6,220,155.60. This represents a 90.12% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Elliott Hill bought 16,388 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 29th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $61.10 per share, with a total value of $1,001,306.80. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 241,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,760,965.70. The trade was a 7.28% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders bought 75,079 shares of company stock worth $4,449,887. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of NIKE

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in NIKE by 388.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 202,411 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $15,316,000 after purchasing an additional 160,980 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in shares of NIKE during the 1st quarter worth approximately $311,000. United Bank grew its position in shares of NIKE by 11.3% during the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 17,067 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $1,212,000 after buying an additional 1,736 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its position in shares of NIKE by 54.4% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 732 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 258 shares during the period. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its stake in shares of NIKE by 63.7% in the 2nd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 41,206 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $2,927,000 after acquiring an additional 16,041 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.25% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting NIKE

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

Positive Sentiment: RBC/other analysts still see recovery potential, particularly from China, and some firms reaffirm bullish long?term views (RBC’s thesis supports upside to the stock). Nike Faces China Recovery as Key Growth Driver, RBC Says
Positive Sentiment: Bullish writeups (Rebound Capital summaries syndicated to retail sites) argue NKE’s multiple and brand strength make it a buy for investors positioning for a turnaround. Is NIKE, Inc. (NKE) Stock A Good Buy Right Now?
Neutral Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus and other houses are taking cautious stances (e.g., hold ratings remain), reflecting mixed near?term visibility even as some firms set higher price targets. Stifel Nicolaus Sticks to Its Hold Rating for Nike (NKE)
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst roundups offer mixed takes on consumer cyclicals (Nike included); these compilations add little immediate catalyst but reflect diverging views on timing of the recovery. Analysts Offer Insights on Consumer Cyclical Companies
Neutral Sentiment: Reports suggest Nike may consider strategic moves around the Converse business — this is speculative and could be either positive (streamlining/non?core sale) or negative (execution risk/one?time costs). ‘Nike Could Exit Converse,’ Says BNP Paribas
Negative Sentiment: NIKE announced ~ $300M in pre?tax restructuring/severance charges tied to organizational changes and recent layoffs; management signals ongoing cost realignment that will pressure near?term results and prompted the stock pullback. Nike to Record $300 Million Charge From Cost?Cutting Efforts (WSJ)
Negative Sentiment: Multiple outlets highlight the same $300M severance hit and note CEO Elliott Hill’s restructuring could include additional cuts — increasing short?term execution and margin risk. Nike Restructuring And Severance Charge Test Turnaround Under New CEO

About NIKE

(Get Free Report)

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).