Zacks Research Brokers Lower Earnings Estimates for NIKE

NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) – Zacks Research cut their Q4 2026 EPS estimates for NIKE in a research report issued on Tuesday, April 14th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the footwear maker will post earnings of $0.09 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.23. The consensus estimate for NIKE’s current full-year earnings is $2.05 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for NIKE’s Q1 2027 earnings at $0.46 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.23 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $1.75 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.40 EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on NKE. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of NIKE from $58.00 to $54.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. BTIG Research cut their price target on shares of NIKE from $90.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $52.00 price target (down from $76.00) on shares of NIKE in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of NIKE in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of NIKE from $65.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $62.34.

NIKE Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE NKE opened at $45.69 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $67.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.31. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $55.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a current ratio of 2.14. NIKE has a 52-week low of $42.09 and a 52-week high of $80.17.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The footwear maker reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $11.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.23 billion. NIKE had a net margin of 4.84% and a return on equity of 16.41%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.54 earnings per share.

NIKE Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. NIKE’s payout ratio is presently 108.61%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Timothy D. Cook bought 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $42.43 per share, for a total transaction of $1,060,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 130,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,536,266.40. This represents a 23.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Holmes Swan acquired 11,781 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $42.44 per share, for a total transaction of $499,985.64. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 55,074 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,337,340.56. The trade was a 27.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have acquired a total of 64,441 shares of company stock valued at $2,734,204 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NIKE

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP acquired a new stake in NIKE during the third quarter worth about $34,200,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in NIKE by 697.5% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 228,889 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $15,960,000 after buying an additional 200,187 shares during the last quarter. Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new position in NIKE in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,743,000. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in NIKE by 54.6% in the 3rd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 104,791 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $7,307,000 after buying an additional 37,019 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park National Corp OH increased its position in NIKE by 81.5% during the 4th quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 431,055 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $27,463,000 after purchasing an additional 193,514 shares during the period. 64.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NIKE News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Top executives and directors bought shares near multi-year lows, a strong confidence signal that likely helped lift the stock; filings show CEO Elliott Hill and board members added substantial positions. Insider Buying Cluster
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option and retail attention accompanied the insider buys, amplifying short‑term upside as traders speculated on a rebound. Options Flow & Short-Term Drivers
• Neutral Sentiment: Nike’s sales mix is shifting toward wholesale while direct/digital trends soften — this could steady margins if wholesale execution improves but represents near-term top-line risk. Sales Mix Shift
• Neutral Sentiment: The company filed a shelf registration for up to $2.332B in Class B shares tied to an ESOP — watch timing/dilution as a potential future supply factor. Shelf Registration / ESOP
• Neutral Sentiment: Major brokers remain cautious: JPMorgan and others maintain neutral ratings, so broad institutional guidance isn’t yet signaling a buy-side catalyst. Broker Ratings
• Negative Sentiment: HSBC cut NKE to Hold and slashed its price target from $90 to $48, calling the turnaround a “show‑me” story — a high‑profile downgrade that likely pressured sentiment. HSBC Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks substantially cut near‑term and multi‑year EPS forecasts (multiple quarters and FY2027/FY2028) — analyst model downgrades increase downside risk for valuation. Zacks Estimate Cuts
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler and other shops trimmed targets/ratings; media and analyst pieces are emphasizing a delayed turnaround and structural headwinds in China, Converse and sportswear, keeping the short‑term narrative bearish. Additional Downgrades & Bear Case
• Negative Sentiment: Governance/legal headline risk: a shareholder PR alleging potential insider fiduciary breaches adds watch‑list risk until resolved. Fiduciary Allegation

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).