Principal Financial Group Inc. Buys 34,824 Shares of NIKE, Inc. $NKE

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,398,673 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 34,824 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in NIKE were worth $89,109,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new position in shares of NIKE in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd bought a new position in shares of NIKE in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of NIKE by 268.6% in the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 516 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co raised its position in shares of NIKE by 43.6% in the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 596 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of NIKE in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. 64.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key NIKE News

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: NIKE declared a quarterly dividend of $0.41 per share (record June 1, payable July 1), implying a ~3.8% yield — a cash-return move that can steady income-oriented holders and improve sentiment. (Company release)
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary is bullish on the dividend and potential restart of growth, arguing the payout signals management confidence in cash flows and could help stabilize the stock. MSN: Dividend Confidence
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst-target commentary highlights a large gap between the current share price and the Wall Street consensus target (~$62), creating a narrative of meaningful upside for value-seeking investors — this thesis can attract bargain hunters and long-only funds. 247wallst: 41% Upside Thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: Berenberg reiterated a “neutral” rating on NKE — a reminder that some brokers remain cautious even as others highlight upside, contributing to mixed analyst signals. MarketScreener: Berenberg Neutral
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage on NIKE’s wholesale rebuild notes that restoring wholesale relationships is key to market-share recovery but may not immediately offset margin pressure — this is a medium-term operational story rather than an immediate earnings cure. Zacks: Wholesale Rebuild
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest has surged, according to reporting, increasing bets against NIKE and adding pressure on CEO Elliott Hill — elevated shorting can amplify downward moves and heighten volatility. Reuters: Short Bets Surge
• Negative Sentiment: NIKE is under an EEOC probe over DEI practices, a governance/legal overhang that increases execution risk and could weigh on multiple stakeholder relationships while the investigation proceeds. The Motley Fool: EEOC Probe

NIKE Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of NIKE stock opened at $43.87 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $64.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.05, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. NIKE, Inc. has a 12-month low of $42.09 and a 12-month high of $80.17. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $50.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.30.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The footwear maker reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $11.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.23 billion. NIKE had a net margin of 4.84% and a return on equity of 16.41%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.54 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that NIKE, Inc. will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NIKE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. NIKE’s dividend payout ratio is presently 108.61%.

Insider Activity at NIKE

In related news, Director John W. Rogers, Jr. purchased 4,000 shares of NIKE stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $43.34 per share, for a total transaction of $173,360.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 41,022 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,777,893.48. This trade represents a 10.80% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Elliott Hill purchased 23,660 shares of NIKE stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $42.27 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,108.20. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 265,247 shares in the company, valued at $11,211,990.69. This represents a 9.79% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 64,441 shares of company stock valued at $2,734,204. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on NKE shares. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price target on shares of NIKE from $65.00 to $55.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. HSBC lowered shares of NIKE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of NIKE from $54.00 to $51.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on shares of NIKE from $35.00 to $23.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $50.00 price target (down from $60.00) on shares of NIKE in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $62.34.

NIKE 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).