SSA Swiss Advisors AG Boosts Stake in NIKE, Inc. $NKE

SSA Swiss Advisors AG increased its position in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 17.8% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 49,306 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,440 shares during the period. NIKE accounts for 1.8% of SSA Swiss Advisors AG’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. SSA Swiss Advisors AG’s holdings in NIKE were worth $3,788,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NKE. Stone House Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NIKE in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in NIKE during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its position in NIKE by 952.6% during the second quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 400 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 362 shares during the period. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in NIKE during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Matrix Trust Co raised its position in NIKE by 53.1% during the second quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 441 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. 64.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NIKE Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE NKE opened at $69.15 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $102.22 billion, a PE ratio of 35.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.29. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $72.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $67.78. NIKE, Inc. has a 12-month low of $52.28 and a 12-month high of $82.44.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, September 30th. The footwear maker reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $11.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.96 billion. NIKE had a return on equity of 21.16% and a net margin of 6.23%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.70 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that NIKE, Inc. will post 2.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NIKE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 2nd. NIKE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 82.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded NIKE from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $68.00 target price on NIKE and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of NIKE in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Cowen upgraded NIKE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded NIKE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $82.21.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Mark G. Parker sold 86,078 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.93, for a total value of $6,535,902.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 744,988 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,566,938.84. This trade represents a 10.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Treasure Heinle sold 4,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.27, for a total value of $306,461.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 29,396 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,095,052.92. The trade was a 12.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

NIKE Company Profile

NIKE, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, markets, and sells athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services worldwide. The company provides athletic and casual footwear, apparel, and accessories under the Jumpman trademark; and casual sneakers, apparel, and accessories under the Converse, Chuck Taylor, All Star, One Star, Star Chevron, and Jack Purcell trademarks.