NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $89.96.

NKE has been the subject of several research reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $84.00 price objective on shares of NIKE in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of NIKE from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $73.00 price objective on shares of NIKE in a research report on Thursday, December 26th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of NIKE from $82.00 to $80.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of NIKE from $79.00 to $75.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th.

NIKE Stock Down 1.9 %

NKE stock opened at $76.82 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. NIKE has a fifty-two week low of $70.32 and a fifty-two week high of $107.43. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $75.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.03. The stock has a market cap of $113.62 billion, a PE ratio of 23.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.02.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The footwear maker reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.15. The firm 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.03 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that NIKE will post 2.09 EPS for the current year.

NIKE Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.08%. This is a positive change from NIKE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. NIKE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.38%.

Insider Transactions at NIKE

In other NIKE news, Director John W. Rogers, Jr. acquired 2,500 shares of NIKE stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,636,989.95. This represents a 7.84 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NIKE

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NKE. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America bought a new position in shares of NIKE during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Caitlin John LLC increased its holdings in NIKE by 117.0% in the fourth quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 371 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in NIKE in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in NIKE in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC increased its holdings in NIKE by 52.6% in the third quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 435 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. 64.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About NIKE

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.