Sanford C. Bernstein Reiterates “Buy” Rating for NIKE (NYSE:NKE)

NIKE (NYSE:NKE)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by investment analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein in a note issued to investors on Thursday,MarketScreener reports.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price target on shares of NIKE from $75.00 to $72.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Truist Financial set a $69.00 price objective on NIKE in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of NIKE in a report on Wednesday, December 31st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $65.00 target price on NIKE and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their price target on NIKE from $90.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.61.

NIKE Stock Performance

NYSE:NKE traded down $1.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $57.01. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 16,272,795 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,781,125. The business’s fifty day moving average is $63.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.47. The stock has a market cap of $84.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.54, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.27. 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 $80.19.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Elliott Hill purchased 16,388 shares of NIKE stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 29th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $61.10 per share, for a total transaction of $1,001,306.80. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 241,587 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,760,965.70. The trade was a 7.28% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert Holmes Swan purchased 8,691 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $57.54 per share, for a total transaction of $500,080.14. Following the transaction, the director owned 43,293 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,491,079.22. The trade was a 25.12% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 75,079 shares of company stock valued at $4,449,887. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NIKE

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in NIKE by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 116,993,541 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $7,453,658,000 after acquiring an additional 1,702,342 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in NIKE by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 59,315,606 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $3,802,807,000 after acquiring an additional 1,275,494 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in 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 during the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP raised its position in NIKE by 49,010.4% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 48,054,542 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $3,061,555,000 after purchasing an additional 47,956,692 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in NIKE by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 26,442,879 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $1,677,251,000 after purchasing an additional 233,925 shares during the period. 64.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting NIKE

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: RBC/other analysts still see recovery potential, particularly from China, and some firms reaffirm bullish long‑term views (RBC’s thesis supports upside to the stock). Nike Faces China Recovery as Key Growth Driver, RBC Says
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish writeups (Rebound Capital summaries syndicated to retail sites) argue NKE’s multiple and brand strength make it a buy for investors positioning for a turnaround. Is NIKE, Inc. (NKE) Stock A Good Buy Right Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus and other houses are taking cautious stances (e.g., hold ratings remain), reflecting mixed near‑term visibility even as some firms set higher price targets. Stifel Nicolaus Sticks to Its Hold Rating for Nike (NKE)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst roundups offer mixed takes on consumer cyclicals (Nike included); these compilations add little immediate catalyst but reflect diverging views on timing of the recovery. Analysts Offer Insights on Consumer Cyclical Companies
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports suggest Nike may consider strategic moves around the Converse business — this is speculative and could be either positive (streamlining/non‑core sale) or negative (execution risk/one‑time costs). ‘Nike Could Exit Converse,’ Says BNP Paribas
• Negative Sentiment: NIKE announced ~ $300M in pre‑tax restructuring/severance charges tied to organizational changes and recent layoffs; management signals ongoing cost realignment that will pressure near‑term results and prompted the stock pullback. Nike to Record $300 Million Charge From Cost‑Cutting Efforts (WSJ)
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple outlets highlight the same $300M severance hit and note CEO Elliott Hill’s restructuring could include additional cuts — increasing short‑term execution and margin risk. Nike Restructuring And Severance Charge Test Turnaround Under New CEO

About NIKE

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).