NIKE, Inc. $NKE Shares Purchased by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,257,863 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 286,395 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in NIKE were worth $256,885,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of NIKE by 11.0% in the second quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. now owns 197,355 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $8,186,000 after acquiring an additional 19,527 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in NIKE by 82.3% during the 2nd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 191,312 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $7,853,000 after purchasing an additional 86,352 shares during the last quarter. Formula Growth Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of NIKE during the second quarter worth $616,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of NIKE by 428.1% during the second quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 160,753 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $6,599,000 after buying an additional 130,315 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH raised its position in shares of NIKE by 32.7% in the second quarter. MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH now owns 55,601 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $2,282,000 after buying an additional 13,701 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.25% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at NIKE

In related news, COO Venkatesh Alagirisamy sold 890 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.60, for a total transaction of $37,024.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 74,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,112,512. This trade represents a 1.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Amy Montagne sold 4,867 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.05, for a total transaction of $204,657.35. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 57,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,415,183.80. The trade was a 7.81% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 26,142 shares of company stock valued at $1,169,380 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

NIKE Price Performance

NYSE:NKE opened at $39.57 on Friday. NIKE, Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.17 and a 52 week high of $79.13. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $41.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.11. The company has a market capitalization of $58.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The footwear maker reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $10.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.85 billion. NIKE had a return on equity of 16.54% and a net margin of 6.70%.The company’s revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.14 EPS. Equities analysts expect that NIKE, Inc. will post 1.74 EPS for the current year.

NIKE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. NIKE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 78.47%.

More NIKE News

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Traders purchased 182,729 NKE call options, 59% above typical daily call volume. The activity may reflect increased bullish speculation, although options positioning does not guarantee sustained buying in the shares.
• Positive Sentiment: Grupo SBF extended its exclusive Nike distribution agreement in Brazil through 2034. The longer arrangement provides continued access to an important Latin American market and supports Nike’s regional distribution network. Grupo SBF Extends Exclusive Nike Distribution Deal in Brazil to 2034
• Neutral Sentiment: NIKE said it will release fiscal first-quarter 2027 results on October 1 after the market close, followed by a management conference call. Investors will look for evidence that the company’s turnaround is improving sales, inventory levels and margins. NIKE Announces First Quarter Fiscal 2027 Earnings and Conference Call
• Neutral Sentiment: NIKE appointed Walmart veteran Jane Ewing as chief commercial officer to help lead its comeback. The hire could strengthen execution and retail strategy, but investors are likely to want measurable results before assigning significant value to the turnaround. Nike Taps Walmart Veteran to Help Drive Comeback
• Negative Sentiment: Reports say Nike’s China business continues to shrink as domestic competitors gain market share and the brand struggles to remain locally relevant. China weakness threatens a key source of long-term growth. Why America’s Biggest Brands Keep Losing in China
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continue to cite soft consumer confidence, weaker traffic, excess legacy inventory and doubts about product innovation. These concerns reinforce expectations for a prolonged recovery and have contributed to reduced price targets and bearish sentiment.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on NKE shares. Berenberg Bank set a $49.00 price target on shares of NIKE and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of NIKE from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $68.00 price target (down from $72.00) on shares of NIKE in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on NIKE from $55.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of NIKE in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, NIKE presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $52.94.

NIKE Company Profile

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).