NIKE (NYSE:NKE) Shares Down 1.1% – What’s Next?

NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) shares traded down 1.1% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $65.04 and last traded at $65.5640. 15,914,173 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 13% from the average session volume of 18,320,275 shares. The stock had previously closed at $66.30.

Key NIKE News

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile insider buying and endorsement by board members has created confidence that management believes in the turnaround — Apple CEO Tim Cook and CEO Elliott Hill purchases are being cited as bullish signals. Opinion: Why It’s Time to Follow Tim Cook and CEO Elliott Hill Into Nike Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Celebrity/influencer support and positive media commentary — Jim Cramer has pointed to value in Nike and noted the stock is “ahead of schedule” in its recovery, which can attract short‑term buyers. Jim Cramer says “there’s a lot of value in Nike”
• Positive Sentiment: Product/market expansion: Nike signed its first major pickleball partnership with teen phenom Anna Leigh Waters, opening a foothold in a rapidly growing sport and adding a new endorsement/retail channel. Nike signs its first pickleball deal with phenom Anna Leigh Waters
• Positive Sentiment: Trade policy tailwind: The House passed an AGOA extension bill that could help apparel supply‑chain flexibility (duty-free access for qualifying African suppliers), a potential sourcing/cost benefit if enacted. Congress Vote: The House has passed H.R. 6500 – AGOA Extension Act
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate: Coverage notes Nike is cheaper than five years ago but not an obvious bargain — valuation depends on whether margins and revenue stabilize. This keeps sentiment split among value and growth investors. Nike Stock: Reasonably Priced or Still Too Expensive?
• Neutral Sentiment: Modest bullish trading notes: several outlets report shares edging higher recently on momentum since mid‑December, but gains are tentative and tied to sentiment rather than fundamentals. Nike Shares Edge Higher Tuesday: What’s Behind The Strength?
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure is intensifying: NIKE reported a 300 bps gross‑margin decline in Q2 and is deploying pricing, cost controls and supply‑chain shifts to respond — investors worry tariffs and rising costs could compress profits further. Margin Headwinds Strengthen: Will Tariff Mitigation Be Enough for NKE?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider buying mixed with analyst downgrades and institutional selling: while insiders bought late‑2025 shares, analysts have cut forecasts and institutions sold heavily in Q4 — analysts warn downside remains and upcoming Q3 (FY) earnings are a key catalyst that could trigger further declines if results disappoint. Nike Insiders Are Buying—But the Downside Risk Isn’t Gone

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $77.00 target price on NIKE in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of NIKE in a report on Monday. Needham & Company LLC downgraded shares of NIKE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $67.00 target price on shares of NIKE in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on shares of NIKE from $75.00 to $72.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, NIKE currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.13.

NIKE Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $63.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $69.55. The firm has a market cap of $97.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.28. 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 (NYSE:NKE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The footwear maker reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $12.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.19 billion. NIKE had a net margin of 5.43% and a return on equity of 18.43%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.78 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that NIKE, Inc. will post 2.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NIKE Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from NIKE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. NIKE’s payout ratio is presently 96.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert Holmes Swan bought 8,691 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $57.54 per share, for a total transaction of $500,080.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jorgen Vig Knudstorp purchased 16,150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $62.09 per share, for a total transaction of $1,002,753.50. Following the acquisition, the director owned 21,388 shares in the company, valued at $1,327,980.92. This trade represents a 308.32% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders acquired 91,229 shares of company stock valued at $5,452,640. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of NIKE

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in NIKE during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC grew its position in NIKE by 952.6% during the 2nd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 400 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 362 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co raised its stake in shares of NIKE by 53.1% during the 2nd quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 441 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of NIKE in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Guerra Advisors Inc acquired a new position in shares of NIKE in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. 64.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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).