NIKE (NYSE:NKE) Upgraded at Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of NIKE (NYSE:NKE) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research note published on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have $73.00 price objective on the footwear maker’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $64.00.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Bank of America cut their target price on NIKE from $84.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Daiwa Securities Group lowered their price target on NIKE from $75.00 to $61.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Berenberg Bank reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of NIKE in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Truist Financial set a $69.00 price objective on shares of NIKE in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $65.00 price objective on shares of NIKE and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Twenty-three equities research 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.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.90.

NIKE Stock Performance

NYSE:NKE opened at $54.00 on Wednesday. NIKE has a 12 month low of $52.28 and a 12 month 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.93 billion, a PE ratio of 31.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.27. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $62.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $65.70.

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

NIKE Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at NIKE

In other news, Director Robert Holmes Swan purchased 8,691 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $57.54 per share, for a total transaction of $500,080.14. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 43,293 shares in the company, 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 hyperlink. Also, CEO Elliott Hill purchased 16,388 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 29th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $61.10 per share, with a total value of $1,001,306.80. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 241,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,760,965.70. This represents a 7.28% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders bought 75,079 shares of company stock worth $4,449,887. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NIKE

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. J. Stern & Co. LLP boosted its stake in shares of NIKE by 49,010.4% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 48,054,542 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $3,061,555,000 after buying an additional 47,956,692 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in NIKE in the fourth quarter worth $829,956,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main raised its position in NIKE by 3,129.9% in the second quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 9,091,426 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $645,855,000 after acquiring an additional 8,809,950 shares in the last quarter. Harris Associates L P acquired a new stake in NIKE in the second quarter valued at $621,525,000. Finally, Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in NIKE by 16.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 49,069,951 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $3,126,246,000 after acquiring an additional 6,830,938 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.25% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about NIKE

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

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).