NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-eight analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation, twenty-five have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $75.8387.

Several brokerages have issued reports on NKE. Bank of America lowered their price objective on NIKE from $84.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $77.00 price target on NIKE in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $85.00 price objective on NIKE and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Daiwa Capital Markets reduced their target price on NIKE from $75.00 to $61.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Finally, Barclays set a $64.00 price target on shares of NIKE and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other NIKE news, Director Timothy D. Cook purchased 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $58.97 per share, for a total transaction of $2,948,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 105,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,220,155.60. This trade represents a 90.12% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert Holmes Swan acquired 8,691 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $57.54 per share, with a total value of $500,080.14. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 43,293 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,491,079.22. This represents a 25.12% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders bought 74,841 shares of company stock worth $4,451,334. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of NIKE

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NKE. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of NIKE by 1.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 115,291,199 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $8,039,255,000 after buying an additional 1,467,414 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of NIKE by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 59,154,159 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $4,225,441,000 after purchasing an additional 1,590,603 shares during the period. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in shares of NIKE by 0.7% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 42,239,013 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $2,945,326,000 after purchasing an additional 286,615 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of NIKE by 3.3% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 12,561,334 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $875,902,000 after purchasing an additional 404,136 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in shares of NIKE by 42.3% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 11,838,528 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $825,501,000 after purchasing an additional 3,518,666 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.25% of the company’s stock.

NIKE News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple CEO and long-time Nike board member Tim Cook made a sizable open-market purchase of Nike shares, a visible sign of insider confidence that can buoy sentiment and short-term demand. Apple CEO Tim Cook Just Gave Nike Investors 3 Million Reasons to Cheer
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights Nike’s “Sport Offense” play — faster product cycles and sport-led innovation — as management’s strategy to rebuild brand heat, fix channel execution and drive growth across key markets; if execution accelerates, sales and margins could improve over 2026. Can NIKE’s “Sport Offense” Reignite Growth Across Key Markets?
• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha publishes a bullish, long-term “Buy” view that argues Nike is on a recovery path — such bullish coverage can attract value-oriented investors looking past near-term noise. Nike: On A Long And Winding Road To Recovery – Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: General investor education pieces list Nike among apparel stocks to consider, which can increase retail interest but don’t change fundamentals. How to Invest in Apparel Stocks (NKE)
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting Nike as an “active” analyst-covered stock raises visibility; however, several analysts have lowered targets recently, so headline volume may not imply unanimous bullishness. Is Nike (NKE) One of the Most Active US Stocks to Buy According to Analysts?
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst skepticism: UBS and others have cut price targets and issued neutral ratings, limiting upside until consistent sales and margin improvement are visible. Is Nike (NKE) One of the Most Active US Stocks to Buy According to Analysts?
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary warns that North America recovery alone may be insufficient for a sustained rally; a Guggenheim analyst stresses broader execution and international growth are still needed. Here’s why North America recovery isn’t enough for Nike stock to rally in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage and data point to meaningful share price underperformance since Q2 2026 and a listicle recommends leaving Nike off watchlists, underscoring persistent execution risk and peer/strategy concerns. NIKE, Inc. (NKE) Down 10.8% Since Q2 2026, Wall Street Remains Positive

NIKE Stock Up 0.4%

NIKE stock opened at $61.19 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $64.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.35. The company has a market capitalization of $90.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.99, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.06. NIKE has a fifty-two week low of $52.28 and a fifty-two week high of $82.44.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The footwear maker reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.16. NIKE had a net margin of 5.43% and a return on equity of 18.43%. The business had revenue of $12.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that NIKE will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current year.

NIKE Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st will be issued a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from NIKE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. NIKE’s payout ratio is currently 96.47%.

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).