Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Has $27.66 Million Position in NIKE, Inc. $NKE

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 60.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 396,632 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 149,891 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in NIKE were worth $27,657,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in NIKE in the second quarter worth approximately $835,063,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main raised its holdings in shares of NIKE by 3,129.9% during the 2nd quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 9,091,426 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $645,855,000 after purchasing an additional 8,809,950 shares in the last quarter. Harris Associates L P bought a new position in shares of NIKE during the 2nd quarter valued at $621,525,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of NIKE by 66.1% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 12,157,198 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $863,647,000 after purchasing an additional 4,840,114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of NIKE by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 11,838,528 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $825,501,000 after purchasing an additional 3,518,666 shares during the last quarter. 64.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NIKE News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays upgraded NKE to Overweight and raised its price target (to $73), arguing Nike has likely hit a “fundamental bottom” thanks to operational progress and disciplined management — a major reason some investors remain constructive. Nike’s Stock Gets an Upgrade (Investopedia)
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat and other outlets highlight strong North American signs (double?digit wholesale growth, improved full?price sell?through) and a re-energized product pipeline (running, basketball, World Cup bookings), supporting a potential recovery if the trend continues. Just Buy It? Barclays Thinks Nike Is Ready to Run (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention has spiked — trading volumes and search interest are up — which can amplify moves in either direction depending on next company data or macro headlines. Investors Heavily Search NIKE (Zacks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate is active: some analysts view the pullback as an attractive entry (potential upside to consensus targets), while others argue price still reflects material near?term risk — earnings and margin trajectory will drive re?rating. Assessing Nike Valuation (Yahoo Finance)
• Negative Sentiment: Lingering headwinds: Greater China sales remain weak and the Converse reset continues to pressure overall results — these international and brand-specific issues keep downside risk if recovery momentum stalls. Just Buy It? Barclays Thinks Nike Is Ready to Run (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentators and analysts argue the multi?year share-price decline and recent volatility justify caution or selling, pointing to decelerating long-term returns and specific short-term risks. 3 Reasons to Sell NKE (Yahoo Finance)
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term downward moves and headlines (Zacks flagged a larger-than-market decline) show the stock remains sensitive to sentiment swings despite the upgrade — expect continued volatility until earnings confirm a sustained recovery. Nike Registers a Bigger Fall Than the Market (Zacks)

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on NKE shares. Needham & Company LLC downgraded shares of NIKE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of NIKE in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of NIKE in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on NIKE from $77.00 to $76.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of NIKE in a report on Monday, December 15th. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NIKE presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.90.

NIKE Stock Down 2.9%

NKE stock opened at $54.10 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a 50-day moving average of $62.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.88. NIKE, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.28 and a 52-week high of $80.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.06 and a quick ratio of 1.40.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The footwear maker reported $0.53 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.78 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that NIKE, Inc. will post 2.05 EPS for the current year.

NIKE Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. NIKE’s payout ratio is currently 96.47%.

Insider Transactions at NIKE

In related news, Director Robert Holmes Swan bought 8,691 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $57.54 per share, with a total value of $500,080.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 43,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,491,079.22. The trade was a 25.12% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Timothy D. Cook bought 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $58.97 per share, with a total value of $2,948,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 105,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,220,155.60. The trade was a 90.12% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders acquired a total of 75,079 shares of company stock worth $4,449,887 over the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About NIKE

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).