Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Cuts Stake in NIKE, Inc. $NKE

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lowered its stake in shares of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 23.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 507,236 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after selling 157,918 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in NIKE were worth $20,822,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. J. Stern & Co. LLP boosted its position in shares of NIKE by 49,010.4% during 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 acquiring an additional 47,956,692 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in NIKE in the 4th quarter valued at $829,956,000. Flossbach Von Storch SE purchased a new stake in NIKE in the 2nd quarter worth $488,714,000. Harris Associates L P purchased a new stake in NIKE in the 2nd quarter worth $621,525,000. Finally, Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in shares of NIKE by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 49,069,951 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $3,126,246,000 after purchasing an additional 6,830,938 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.25% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on NKE shares. Robert W. Baird restated an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of NIKE in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on NIKE from $45.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen raised NIKE from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. DZ Bank restated a “buy” rating on shares of NIKE in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of NIKE in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. One 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $52.94.

NIKE Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NKE opened at $39.57 on Monday. NIKE, Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.17 and a twelve month high of $79.13. The company 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. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $41.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The footwear maker reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 16.54%. The business’s revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.14 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that NIKE, Inc. will post 1.74 EPS for the current year.

NIKE Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at NIKE

In other news, insider Amy Montagne sold 4,867 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.05, for a total transaction of $204,657.35. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 57,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,415,183.80. This trade represents a 7.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Venkatesh Alagirisamy sold 890 shares of NIKE stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.60, for a total transaction of $37,024.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 74,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,112,512. This represents a 1.18% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 26,142 shares of company stock valued at $1,169,380 over the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting NIKE

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 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).