NIKE’s (NKE) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at BTIG Research

BTIG Research reiterated their buy rating on shares of NIKE (NYSE:NKE) in a research report report published on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have a $50.00 price target on the footwear maker’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on NKE. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on NIKE from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of NIKE in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of NIKE from $40.00 to $33.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Freedom Broker upgraded shares of NIKE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $54.00 to $51.00 in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their price objective on shares of NIKE from $45.00 to $37.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Hold rating and eleven have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NIKE currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $40.93.

NIKE Price Performance

Shares of NKE opened at $37.31 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $37.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $41.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. NIKE has a twelve month low of $31.97 and a twelve month high of $70.44. The company has a market cap of $55.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 1.09.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The footwear maker reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.05. NIKE had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 6.74%. The business had revenue of $11.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.49 earnings per share. The business’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. As a group, analysts predict that NIKE will post 1.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NIKE Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st were given a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.4%. NIKE’s payout ratio is currently 78.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NIKE

In other NIKE news, CFO Matthew Friend sold 2,463 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.60, for a total value of $102,460.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 82,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,418,064. This represents a 2.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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 company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.59, for a total transaction of $96,192.81. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 78,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,936,568.39. The trade was 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 14,974 shares of company stock valued at $600,126. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of NIKE

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Flossbach Von Storch SE acquired a new position in shares of NIKE during the second quarter valued at approximately $488,714,000. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of NIKE by 6.8% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 63,598,789 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $2,636,104,000 after acquiring an additional 4,052,428 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of NIKE by 873.8% in the third quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 2,720,616 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $96,310,000 after acquiring an additional 2,441,233 shares during the last quarter. Equity Investment Corp acquired a new stake in shares of NIKE in the second quarter worth approximately $99,531,000. Finally, Amundi boosted its stake in shares of NIKE by 59.4% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 6,460,398 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $265,199,000 after acquiring an additional 2,406,609 shares during the last quarter. 64.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NIKE News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim and BTIG Research reaffirmed Buy ratings and $50 price targets, implying substantial upside from current levels. Barclays also raised its target to $45 and said the shares may be near a bottom. Guggenheim rating Barclays raises Nike price target
• Positive Sentiment: Investors continue to look for evidence that Nike’s brand reset is gaining traction. Recent quarterly earnings exceeded EPS expectations, while rebuilding wholesale relationships and managing inventory could support a longer-term recovery. Nike turnaround article
• Positive Sentiment: Nike plans to bring back a popular retro lifestyle shoe next year, a move that could provide incremental support for consumer interest and its lifestyle business. Nike retro shoe return
• Neutral Sentiment: Nike will hold an Investor Day on November 16–17, with key presentations webcast on November 17. Investors may look for updated targets and details on the turnaround strategy. Nike 2026 Investor Day webcast
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research initiated coverage with an Underperform rating and a $28 price target, citing roughly 25% potential downside. The sharply lower target adds to investor concerns about the pace of earnings recovery.
• Negative Sentiment: A sector-wide retail selloff pushed athletic-apparel stocks lower, with Nike declining alongside Lululemon and Under Armour. This indicates broader concerns about discretionary consumer demand, not solely company-specific weakness. Athletic apparel stock selloff
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts remain concerned about slowing digital sales, weaker direct-to-consumer performance in Greater China, ongoing sales declines and continued competitive pressure in China. UBS maintained a Neutral rating, underscoring uncertainty over the recovery timeline. Nike digital sales slowdown

About NIKE

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

NIKE’s product portfolio includes athletic and casual footwear, performance and lifestyle apparel, sports equipment, accessories and digital fitness-related offerings. The company distributes its products through company-owned retail stores, digital platforms and wholesale partners, while also operating direct-to-consumer and membership programs.

The company traces its origins to 1964, when Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman founded Blue Ribbon Sports.