NIKE (NYSE:NKE) Given “Buy” Rating at Sanford C. Bernstein

Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of NIKE (NYSE:NKE) in a research note published on Tuesday morning,MarketScreener Latest Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a $85.00 target price on the footwear maker’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on NKE. Wells Fargo & Company set a $65.00 target price on NIKE and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of NIKE in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $65.00 price objective on NIKE and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $77.00 target price on shares of NIKE in a report on Friday, December 19th. 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 research note on Friday, December 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $75.45.

NIKE Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE NKE opened at $65.30 on Tuesday. NIKE has a 1-year low of $52.28 and a 1-year high of $82.44. The company has a 50-day moving average of $63.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.49. The company has a market cap of $96.53 billion, a PE ratio of 38.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The footwear maker reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.16. NIKE had a net margin of 5.43% and a return on equity of 18.43%. The business had revenue of $12.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.78 earnings per share. NIKE’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that NIKE will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NIKE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from NIKE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. NIKE’s dividend payout ratio is 96.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NIKE

In related news, Chairman Mark G. Parker sold 86,078 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.80, for a total transaction of $5,577,854.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 647,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,965,452. This represents a 11.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jorgen Vig Knudstorp purchased 16,150 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 21,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,327,980.92. The trade was a 308.32% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired a total of 91,229 shares of company stock valued at $5,452,640 in the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of NIKE

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NKE. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in NIKE by 1.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 115,291,199 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $8,039,255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,467,414 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of NIKE by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 59,154,159 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $4,225,441,000 after buying an additional 1,590,603 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in shares of NIKE by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 42,239,013 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $2,945,326,000 after buying an additional 286,615 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of NIKE by 3.3% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 12,561,334 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $875,902,000 after buying an additional 404,136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in NIKE by 42.3% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 11,838,528 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $825,501,000 after buying an additional 3,518,666 shares during the last quarter. 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: Significant insider buying — Tim Cook, CEO Elliott Hill and other directors bought shares after the December earnings dip, signaling management/board confidence and helping spark recent share gains. Insiders Just Bought the Dip in NKE Stock, Including Apple’s CEO
• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “buy” rating with an $85 price target (roughly mid-to-high teens upside vs. current levels), giving institutional validation to a recovery narrative. Bernstein Reiterates Buy on NKE
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets report a coordinated insider purchasing wave (framed by some as a “buyback” signal led by board/management), which has supported the stock bounce and could attract momentum buyers. Hypebeast: Insiders Launch Buying
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC trimmed its price target from $85 to $78 but kept a “buy” rating — a modestly less bullish view that still implies meaningful upside but signals some near-term caution. RBC Lowers NKE Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed but active — a Benzinga roundup shows ~20 analyst opinions and varied price targets, underscoring no clear consensus on timing of a durable turnaround. Benzinga Analyst Roundup
• Negative Sentiment: Greater China remains a material headwind — Zacks notes a 17% slide in Greater China revenue in Q2 fiscal 2026, showing that recovery in a key market is uneven and could pressure near-term sales and margins. Zacks on China Headwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and near-term upside questioned — Zacks and others highlight that NKE’s valuation sits above some peers despite uneven demand and margin pressure, suggesting limited near-term upside unless execution improves. Zacks on Valuation Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: 2025 underperformance and lingering execution risk — coverage pieces note Nike lagged many stocks last year (roughly ~15% YTD weakness at one point) and that sustained margin and China recovery progress will be needed to convince skeptics. Zacks: Can Nike Bounce Back?

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).