NIKE (NYSE:NKE) Shares Climb 1.2% – Time to Buy?

NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE)’s stock price was up 1.2% on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $34.87 and last traded at $34.7610. 43,313,419 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 76% from the average session volume of 24,674,582 shares. The stock had previously closed at $34.36.

NIKE News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: NIKE reported quarterly earnings of $0.48 per share, above the $0.43 analyst consensus. Management’s turnaround efforts, including a focus on higher-quality products and a tighter supply chain, could support longer-term recovery. NIKE’s Shares Fall More Than 2% Post Q1 Earnings: What’s Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that NIKE may return to Formula One sponsorships in 2027 offer a potential brand-building and growth opportunity as the company seeks to regain momentum. NIKE Eyes Bringing the Swoosh Back to Formula 1
• Neutral Sentiment: NIKE’s dividend yield has risen to roughly 4.8%, attracting income-oriented investors. However, commentary notes that projected fiscal 2027 earnings may fall below the dividend, making cash flow, balance-sheet strength and management’s payout commitment important areas to monitor. Nike Guided Earnings Below Its Dividend
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue fell 4.3% year over year to $11.21 billion, missing estimates, while management’s fiscal 2027 guidance signals continued pressure. Analysts and commentators describe the turnaround as prolonged, with major franchises and overall sales still losing momentum. 1 Stat That Makes Nike Hard to Ignore This October
• Negative Sentiment: Greater China remains the key concern, with falling sales and a difficult Chinese consumer environment weighing on the investment case. NIKE also reduced the detail it provides on regional and China performance in its latest filing, which may increase investor uncertainty. Why Is Nike Giving Investors Less Insight Into China Sales?
• Negative Sentiment: Berenberg downgraded NIKE from “hold” to “strong sell,” adding to bearish commentary about valuation and the company’s declining revenue base. NIKE’s Shares Fall More Than 2% Post Q1 Earnings

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $27.00 target price on shares of NIKE and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Freedom Broker raised shares of NIKE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $54.00 to $51.00 in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of NIKE in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $60.00 price objective on shares of NIKE in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their target price on shares of NIKE from $45.00 to $37.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Hold rating and ten have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $41.19.

NIKE Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $38.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $42.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The company has a market capitalization of $51.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.71, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.09.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The footwear maker reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.05. NIKE had a net margin of 6.74% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The business had revenue of $11.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. NIKE has set its FY 2027 guidance at 1.150-1.350 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that NIKE, Inc. will post 1.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NIKE Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st were paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. NIKE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NIKE

In other NIKE news, COO Venkatesh Alagirisamy sold 3,671 shares of NIKE stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.59, for a total transaction of $137,992.89. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 104,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,941,762.58. The trade was a 3.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Philip McCartney sold 2,559 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.59, for a total value of $96,192.81. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 78,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,936,568.39. This trade represents a 3.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 a total of 14,974 shares of company stock worth $600,126 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of NIKE

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of NIKE by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 59,315,606 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $3,802,807,000 after purchasing an additional 1,275,494 shares during the period. J. Stern & Co. LLP raised its stake 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 worth $3,061,555,000 after buying an additional 47,956,692 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in NIKE by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 7,887,609 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $502,537,000 after buying an additional 874,662 shares during the last quarter. Flossbach Von Storch SE acquired a new position in NIKE in the second quarter valued at $488,714,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in NIKE by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,487,642 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $349,618,000 after buying an additional 172,080 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.25% of the company’s stock.

NIKE Company Profile

NIKE, Inc is a global sportswear company that designs, develops, markets and sells athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories and related services. Its products are marketed under the NIKE, Jordan and Converse brands and are used across a broad range of sports and lifestyle activities, including running, basketball, football, training and outdoor pursuits.

The company distributes its products through a combination of wholesale partners, NIKE-owned retail stores and digital platforms.