Advocate Group LLC Raises Stake in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE)

Advocate Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 45,612 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,188 shares during the period. Advocate Group LLC’s holdings in NIKE were worth $4,952,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vestcor Inc raised its holdings in shares of NIKE by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 29,977 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $3,508,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Excalibur Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of NIKE by 1.9% during the third quarter. Excalibur Management Corp now owns 5,148 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $492,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. M Holdings Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of NIKE by 2.7% during the first quarter. M Holdings Securities Inc. now owns 3,775 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $463,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. raised its holdings in shares of NIKE by 1.3% during the third quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. now owns 7,540 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $721,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Baxter Bros Inc. raised its holdings in shares of NIKE by 2.0% during the third quarter. Baxter Bros Inc. now owns 5,045 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $482,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 64.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NIKE Price Performance

NYSE NKE traded down $0.15 on Friday, hitting $93.98. 11,331,676 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,409,578. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $101.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $103.56. The company has a market cap of $143.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. NIKE, Inc. has a 1-year low of $88.66 and a 1-year high of $128.68.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 21st. The footwear maker reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $12.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.28 billion. NIKE had a return on equity of 39.41% and a net margin of 10.14%. On average, equities analysts predict that NIKE, Inc. will post 3.72 EPS for the current year.

NIKE Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. NIKE’s payout ratio is 43.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on NKE. TheStreet lowered shares of NIKE from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of NIKE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of NIKE from $129.00 to $117.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of NIKE from $125.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of NIKE from $140.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $116.52.

NIKE Profile

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.