Brevan Howard Capital Management LP Raises Holdings in NIKE, Inc. $NKE

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP lifted its position in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 16.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 106,263 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,198 shares during the quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP’s holdings in NIKE were worth $7,410,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cannell & Spears LLC boosted its stake in NIKE by 2.1% during the third quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC now owns 22,138 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $1,544,000 after buying an additional 446 shares during the last quarter. Cartenna Capital LP purchased a new position in NIKE during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $76,703,000. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. increased its stake in NIKE by 41.2% in the 3rd quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 8,534 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $595,000 after acquiring an additional 2,490 shares during the last quarter. Community Bank N.A. increased its stake in NIKE by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Community Bank N.A. now owns 19,416 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $1,354,000 after acquiring an additional 871 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of NIKE by 37.9% during the 3rd quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 17,117 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $1,194,000 after acquiring an additional 4,702 shares in the last quarter. 64.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert Holmes Swan acquired 8,691 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $57.54 per share, with a total value of $500,080.14. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 43,293 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,491,079.22. This trade represents a 25.12% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Elliott Hill bought 16,388 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 29th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $61.10 per share, with a total value of $1,001,306.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 241,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,760,965.70. This trade represents a 7.28% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have bought 75,079 shares of company stock valued at $4,449,887 in the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on NKE shares. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of NIKE in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of NIKE in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $65.00 price objective on shares of NIKE and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of NIKE in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reduced their target price on shares of NIKE from $75.00 to $72.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 19th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.90.

NIKE News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays upgraded NKE to an Overweight, citing a clear North America recovery, stronger wholesale bookings, and a refreshed product pipeline that could drive margin recovery and re‑rating. This upgrade is the main bullish catalyst today. Barclays upgrades NIKE (NKE)
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets (MarketBeat, TheStreet) amplified the Barclays call, highlighting improving North America sales, inventory cleanup and product momentum — factors that could support upside if execution continues. Just Buy It? Barclays Thinks Nike Is Ready to Run
• Neutral Sentiment: Nike promoted Cimarron Nix to chief sustainability officer, adding supply‑chain and labor expertise to management — a governance/ESG move that may help long‑term brand and operational resilience but is unlikely to move near‑term earnings. Can Nike’s New Sustainability Chief Reframe NKE’s Long-Term Competitive Edge Story?
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term selling: recent coverage notes a bigger single‑day decline and extended multi‑month underperformance — investor skepticism persists despite the upgrade. That ongoing weakness is pressuring the stock. Nike (NKE) Registers a Bigger Fall Than the Market
• Negative Sentiment: Options market shows moderately bearish positioning and higher implied volatility, with elevated demand for downside protection — a signal that traders expect continued near‑term swings. Option traders moderately bearish in Nike
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish analyst/editorial pieces cite ongoing risks (China weakness, Converse reset, valuation concerns) and list reasons to sell — these narratives can keep downward pressure until clearer signs of global stabilization appear. 3 Reasons to Sell NKE

NIKE Stock Performance

NYSE:NKE opened at $54.00 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.93 billion, a PE ratio of 31.76, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.27. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $62.53 and its 200 day moving average is $65.61. NIKE, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $52.28 and a fifty-two week high of $80.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.06.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The footwear maker reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.16. NIKE had a net margin of 5.43% and a return on equity of 18.43%. The business had revenue of $12.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.78 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that NIKE, Inc. will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current year.

NIKE Announces Dividend

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

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).