Sanford C. Bernstein Reaffirms Buy Rating for NIKE (NYSE:NKE)

NIKE (NYSE:NKE)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by research analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein in a report released on Tuesday,MarketScreener Latest Ratings reports. They presently have a $85.00 price target on the footwear maker’s stock. Sanford C. Bernstein’s price objective points to a potential upside of 30.16% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $65.00 target price (down previously from $70.00) on shares of NIKE in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Williams Trading decreased their price target on shares of NIKE from $100.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 19th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of NIKE in a report on Monday. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their target price on NIKE from $38.00 to $35.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of NIKE in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.45.

NIKE Price Performance

NYSE NKE traded up $0.77 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $65.30. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 19,740,138 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,566,961. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.28. The company’s 50-day moving average is $63.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.06 and a quick ratio of 1.40. NIKE has a 1-year low of $52.28 and a 1-year high of $82.44.

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

Insider Activity at NIKE

In related news, Director Robert Holmes Swan bought 8,691 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was bought 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 $2,491,079.22. This represents a 25.12% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Timothy D. Cook purchased 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $58.97 per share, with a total value of $2,948,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 105,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,220,155.60. The trade was a 90.12% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have acquired 91,229 shares of company stock valued at $5,452,640 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NIKE

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in NIKE by 388.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 202,411 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $15,316,000 after purchasing an additional 160,980 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of NIKE by 2.9% during the first quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 53,131 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $3,394,000 after buying an additional 1,514 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in NIKE in the first quarter valued at approximately $311,000. Ascent Group LLC lifted its stake in NIKE by 108.8% in the first quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 5,897 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $374,000 after acquiring an additional 3,073 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MBB Public Markets I LLC purchased a new position in NIKE in the first quarter worth approximately $276,000. 64.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key NIKE News

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Senior insiders—including Lead Independent Director Tim Cook, CEO Elliott Hill and another director—bought shares after the post‑earnings selloff, signaling management and the board have conviction in a recovery; those purchases helped lift the stock from recent lows. Insiders Just Bought the Dip in NKE Stock, Including Apple’s CEO
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC trimmed its price target from $85 to $78 but kept a “buy” rating — a modest downgrade that still implies meaningful upside, so analyst sentiment is mixed rather than uniformly negative. RBC Lowers Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Greater China remains a clear headwind: Zacks reports NIKE’s Greater China revenue fell ~17% in Q2 FY26 as weak demand and stronger local competitors pressured sales — this market slump is the primary reason investors are questioning the pace of the company’s global comeback. Will China’s Structural Challenges Slow NIKE’s Global Comeback?
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and margin concerns persist: analysts note NKE trades at a premium to peers and faces uneven demand and margin pressure, raising doubts about near-term upside despite long‑term brand strength. NIKE’s Stock Looks Expensive

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).