NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the thirty analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fifteen have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $88.62.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on NKE shares. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of NIKE from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 23rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on NIKE from $92.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays dropped their price objective on NIKE from $79.00 to $70.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America decreased their target price on NIKE from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $84.00 price target on shares of NIKE in a report on Friday.

NIKE Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NKE opened at $68.69 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $101.60 billion, a PE ratio of 21.20, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.01. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $75.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $78.05. NIKE has a 1-year low of $68.62 and a 1-year high of $107.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.51.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The footwear maker reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $12.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.11 billion. NIKE had a net margin of 9.98% and a return on equity of 36.99%. NIKE’s revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.03 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that NIKE will post 2.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NIKE Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. This is an increase from NIKE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. NIKE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.38%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other NIKE news, Director John W. Rogers, Jr. acquired 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $76.65 per share, with a total value of $191,625.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 34,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,636,989.95. The trade was a 7.84 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its holdings in shares of NIKE by 625.4% in the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 76,900 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $5,796,000 after buying an additional 66,299 shares in the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its stake in NIKE by 180.8% in the 2nd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 4,490 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 2,891 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of NIKE by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 244,750 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $21,636,000 after purchasing an additional 13,918 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in shares of NIKE by 2.3% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 524,145 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $46,334,000 after purchasing an additional 12,020 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Davis Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of NIKE in the third quarter worth about $1,238,000. 64.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.