Physicians Financial Services Inc. Cuts Stake in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE)

Physicians Financial Services Inc. reduced its stake in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 8.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,746 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after selling 1,219 shares during the quarter. Physicians Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in NIKE were worth $1,040,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NIKE during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Caitlin John LLC boosted its stake in shares of NIKE by 117.0% in the fourth quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 371 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new position in NIKE in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of NIKE during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of NIKE in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.25% of the company’s stock.

NIKE Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NKE opened at $77.19 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $74.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.05. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $114.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.82, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.01. NIKE, Inc. has a twelve month low of $68.62 and a twelve month high of $106.62.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The footwear maker reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $12.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.11 billion. NIKE had a return on equity of 36.99% and a net margin of 9.98%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.03 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that NIKE, Inc. will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NIKE Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. NIKE’s payout ratio is 49.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of NIKE from $80.00 to $74.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of NIKE from $82.00 to $80.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of NIKE in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $84.00 price objective on shares of NIKE in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of NIKE from $92.00 to $82.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $88.62.

Insider Transactions at NIKE

In other NIKE news, Director John W. Rogers, Jr. purchased 2,500 shares of NIKE stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $76.65 per share, for a total transaction of $191,625.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 34,403 shares in the company, valued at $2,636,989.95. This represents a 7.84 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Mark G. Parker sold 169,732 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.83, for a total value of $12,361,581.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 896,632 shares in the company, valued at $65,301,708.56. The trade was a 15.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

About NIKE

NIKE, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, markets, and sells athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services worldwide. The company provides athletic and casual footwear, apparel, and accessories under the Jumpman trademark; and casual sneakers, apparel, and accessories under the Converse, Chuck Taylor, All Star, One Star, Star Chevron, and Jack Purcell trademarks.