NIKE, Inc. $NKE Stock Position Boosted by Confluence Investment Management LLC

Confluence Investment Management LLC grew its position in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 873.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,720,616 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after buying an additional 2,441,233 shares during the period. NIKE accounts for approximately 1.5% of Confluence Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Confluence Investment Management LLC owned 0.18% of NIKE worth $96,310,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NKE. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NIKE during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Sankala Group LLC purchased a new position in NIKE in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in NIKE during the first quarter worth $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in NIKE by 108.4% during the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 548 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in NIKE in the first quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.25% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting NIKE

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record short interest—estimated at about 87 million shares—could amplify any rally if Nike reports results or guidance above expectations and forces bearish investors to cover positions. NKE short-interest article
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are watching new products, including WNBA star Caitlin Clark’s Caitlin 1 signature shoe, as potential evidence that Nike can rebuild product momentum and reconnect with consumers. Some retail investors remain constructive and view the selloff as an opportunity to reinvest. Caitlin 1 catalyst article
• Neutral Sentiment: Options markets imply a sizable post-earnings move, reflecting unusually high uncertainty rather than a clear directional outlook. Consensus expectations reportedly call for approximately $0.44 in EPS and $11.34 billion in revenue, with investors focused on China sales, margins, inventories, and management’s recovery timeline. Nike earnings expectations article
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America cautioned that weak sales, margin pressure, and a delayed turnaround could push NKE lower. Analysts have also reduced price targets and expect conservative guidance, suggesting that even an earnings beat may not be enough without stronger signs of recovery. Bank of America Nike outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Previews generally expect year-over-year declines in quarterly earnings and revenue, reinforcing concerns that Nike’s turnaround is progressing too slowly and that the company may struggle to regain market share. Traders are therefore positioned for the stock to potentially test new multiyear lows after the report. Nike earnings preview

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NKE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $68.00 price target (down from $72.00) on shares of NIKE in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective (down from $74.00) on shares of NIKE in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. CICC Research decreased their target price on shares of NIKE from $58.00 to $44.80 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Truist Financial set a $42.00 target price on shares of NIKE and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their price target on shares of NIKE from $45.00 to $37.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Hold rating and seven have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $46.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Venkatesh Alagirisamy sold 3,671 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.59, for a total value of $137,992.89. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 104,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,941,762.58. This trade represents a 3.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Amy Montagne sold 4,867 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 57,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,415,183.80. The trade was a 7.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 14,974 shares of company stock worth $600,126 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

NIKE Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NKE traded up $0.62 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $36.02. 22,178,592 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 23,009,238. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $39.16 and its 200-day moving average is $43.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.96. NIKE, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $35.15 and a fifty-two week high of $76.97. The company has a market cap of $53.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.10.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The footwear maker reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $10.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.85 billion. NIKE had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 16.54%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.14 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that NIKE, Inc. will post 1.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NIKE Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.6%. NIKE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.47%.

NIKE Company Profile

NIKE, Inc is a global sportswear company that designs, develops, markets and sells athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories and related services. Its products are marketed under the NIKE, Jordan and Converse brands and are used across a broad range of sports and lifestyle activities, including running, basketball, football, training and outdoor pursuits.

The company distributes its products through a combination of wholesale partners, NIKE-owned retail stores and digital platforms.