FY2026 Earnings Forecast for NIKE Issued By Erste Group Bank

NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) – Stock analysts at Erste Group Bank decreased their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of NIKE in a report released on Tuesday, March 24th. Erste Group Bank analyst S. Lingnau now anticipates that the footwear maker will earn $1.52 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $1.53. The consensus estimate for NIKE’s current full-year earnings is $2.05 per share.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on NKE. Needham & Company LLC downgraded shares of NIKE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of NIKE in a research note on Monday, December 15th. BTIG Research decreased their price objective on NIKE from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Bank of America lowered their target price on NIKE from $84.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price on NIKE from $72.00 to $65.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, NIKE has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.20.

NIKE Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE NKE opened at $52.95 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $60.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.35. NIKE has a one year low of $52.17 and a one year high of $80.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.06. The firm has a market cap of $78.39 billion, a PE ratio of 31.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.27.

Institutional Trading of NIKE

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NKE. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of NIKE by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 116,993,541 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $7,453,658,000 after buying an additional 1,702,342 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in NIKE by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 59,315,606 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $3,802,807,000 after acquiring an additional 1,275,494 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in NIKE by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 49,069,951 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $3,126,246,000 after acquiring an additional 6,830,938 shares during the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP raised its position 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 worth $3,061,555,000 after acquiring an additional 47,956,692 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of NIKE by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 26,442,879 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $1,677,251,000 after purchasing an additional 233,925 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.25% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Elliott Hill acquired 16,388 shares of NIKE stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 29th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $61.10 per share, with a total value of $1,001,306.80. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 241,587 shares in the company, valued at $14,760,965.70. This trade represents a 7.28% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

NIKE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. NIKE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.47%.

Key Stories Impacting NIKE

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated a Buy on NKE, highlighting “continued progress” in North America and saying improvement there increases confidence in a broader turnaround; BofA also noted potential tailwinds from World Cup product cycles. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Nike’s March 31 Q3 earnings release; some commentaries frame the pullback (multi‑year decline) as a buying opportunity if results show North America momentum. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage notes a recent intraday bounce (prior session close higher), but volume remains below average and price sits near 52‑week lows — suggesting traders are waiting for earnings clarity. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector news: competitor On Holding updated leadership amid slowing growth — a reminder of competitive pressures in athletic footwear. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Telsey Advisory Group cut its price target from $72 to $65 and moved to Market Perform, signaling tempered upside expectations from analysts. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Previews from analysts (Benzinga) expect Q3 total sales declines and an approximate 200 bps contraction in gross margin, driven by persistent weakness in China — a key near‑term risk for results and sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank issued a pessimistic forecast for NKE, adding downside pressure to sentiment ahead of earnings. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/market commentary warns NKE is near a make‑or‑break support level and could test lower prices if earnings disappoint, increasing downside risk for traders. Article Title

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).