United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Reduces Position in NIKE, Inc. $NKE

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in shares of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 66.9% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 36,134 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after selling 72,873 shares during the quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in NIKE were worth $1,483,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,275,494 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of NIKE by 16.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 49,069,951 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $3,126,246,000 after purchasing an additional 6,830,938 shares during the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $3,061,555,000 after purchasing an additional 47,956,692 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in NIKE by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 26,442,879 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $1,677,251,000 after buying an additional 233,925 shares during the period. Finally, Harris Associates L P increased its stake in NIKE by 72.3% in the 4th quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 14,956,882 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $952,903,000 after buying an additional 6,277,987 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.25% of the company’s stock.

Key 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.

NIKE Stock Up 2.9%

NIKE stock opened at $39.57 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $41.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market cap of $58.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.11. NIKE, Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.17 and a twelve month high of $79.13.

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

NIKE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. NIKE’s payout ratio is currently 78.47%.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Venkatesh Alagirisamy sold 890 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.60, for a total value of $37,024.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 74,820 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,112,512. This trade represents a 1.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 NIKE 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 57,436 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,415,183.80. The trade was a 7.81% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,142 shares of company stock valued at $1,169,380. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of NIKE from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $68.00 price objective (down from $72.00) on shares of NIKE in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of NIKE in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen raised NIKE from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of NIKE in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, twenty have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NIKE presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $52.94.

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).