NIKE’s (NKE) “Neutral” Rating Reaffirmed at The Goldman Sachs Group

NIKE (NYSE:NKE)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reiterated by analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday. They currently have a $52.00 target price on the footwear maker’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s target price suggests a potential downside of 1.57% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also commented on NKE. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on NIKE from $38.00 to $35.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $65.00 target price on shares of NIKE and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Guggenheim lowered their target price on shares of NIKE from $77.00 to $74.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Berenberg Bank reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of NIKE in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $78.00 price target on shares of NIKE in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, NIKE has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.07.

NIKE Stock Performance

Shares of NKE opened at $52.83 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.27. NIKE has a 52 week low of $50.95 and a 52 week high of $80.17. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $59.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.66. 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 earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The footwear maker reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $11.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.23 billion. NIKE had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 5.43%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.54 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that NIKE will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NIKE

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its stake in shares of NIKE by 49,010.4% during the 4th 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 4th quarter valued at approximately $829,956,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main raised its holdings in NIKE by 3,129.9% during the 2nd quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 9,091,426 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $645,855,000 after acquiring an additional 8,809,950 shares during the period. Harris Associates L P bought a new stake in NIKE during the 2nd quarter valued at $621,525,000. Finally, Capital World Investors lifted its position in shares of NIKE by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 49,069,951 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $3,126,246,000 after acquiring an additional 6,830,938 shares in the last quarter. 64.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NIKE News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results beat consensus on both top and bottom lines (EPS $0.35 vs. ~ $0.31 and revenue ~$11.28B in line/above estimates), showing some operational progress and product demand in running/performance categories. TipRanks Q3 Preview
• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterated parts of the “Win Now” turnaround — tighter discounting and new product innovation were credited with stabilizing demand in some segments. Reuters: Sales Beat
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue was essentially flat year‑over‑year (reported ~$11.3B) with mixed regional performance: wholesale held up while NIKE Direct declined — important context but not an immediate positive/negative catalyst by itself. Business Wire Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts still highlight long-term upside tied to brand strength and product cycles; coverage remains skewed bullish overall despite short-term concerns. WSJ: Analyst Context
• Negative Sentiment: Forward guidance disappointed: Nike warned current-quarter revenue could decline ~2–4% and projected China sales to drop about 20%, a major hit given China’s size for the business — this is the primary driver of the stock’s decline. Invezz: Weak Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Gross‑margin pressure and narrower operating profit were highlighted (management expects margin recovery over multiple quarters), raising near‑term profitability concerns. Seeking Alpha: Margin Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risk: executives warned that unrest in the Middle East could further complicate the turnaround, adding a macro tail‑risk that may keep investors cautious. Reuters: Middle East Risk
• Negative Sentiment: Immediate market reaction: shares slid sharply in after‑hours / premarket trading, reflecting investor skepticism that the turnaround will accelerate given the new guidance and China slump. Blockonomi: Stock Plunge
• Neutral Sentiment: Some houses (e.g., Citi) maintained neutral/hold ratings citing the beat but cautious outlook; watch for upcoming analyst revisions and updated models. TipRanks: Citi Hold

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).