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

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC lowered its position in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 66.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 36,134 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after selling 72,873 shares during the period. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in NIKE were worth $1,483,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of NIKE by 2.2% in the 4th 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 period. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in NIKE by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 49,069,951 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $3,126,246,000 after buying an additional 6,830,938 shares during the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its holdings in 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 valued at $3,061,555,000 after buying an additional 47,956,692 shares during the last quarter. 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 worth $1,677,251,000 after acquiring an additional 233,925 shares during the period. Finally, Harris Associates L P raised its position in NIKE by 72.3% in the fourth quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 14,956,882 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $952,903,000 after acquiring an additional 6,277,987 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.25% of the company’s stock.

NIKE News Roundup

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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NKE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Truist Financial set a $42.00 price objective on NIKE and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded NIKE from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of NIKE in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Evercore set a $46.00 price objective on NIKE and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of NIKE from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NIKE has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $52.94.

NIKE Stock Up 2.9%

NYSE NKE opened at $39.57 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.17 and a 12 month high of $79.13. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $41.91 and its 200 day moving average is $47.11. The stock has a market cap of $58.70 billion, a PE ratio of 18.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.11.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last announced 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. NIKE had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 16.54%. The business had revenue of $10.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.14 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that NIKE, Inc. will post 1.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NIKE Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling 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 stock was sold at an average price of $42.05, for a total value of $204,657.35. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 57,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,415,183.80. This trade represents a 7.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Venkatesh Alagirisamy sold 890 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.60, for a total value of $37,024.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 74,820 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 26,142 shares of company stock worth $1,169,380. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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).