NIKE (NYSE:NKE) Shares Up 3.9% on Insider Buying Activity

Shares of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) traded up 3.9% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after an insider bought additional shares in the company. The stock traded as high as $63.51 and last traded at $63.5790. 12,796,149 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 23% from the average session volume of 16,550,865 shares. The stock had previously closed at $61.19.

Specifically, CEO Elliott Hill acquired 16,388 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 29th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $61.10 per share, for a total transaction of $1,001,306.80. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 241,587 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,760,965.70. This trade represents a 7.28% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $85.00 price objective on shares of NIKE and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of NIKE in a report on Friday, December 19th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of NIKE in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Williams Trading cut their target price on NIKE from $100.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $72.00 price target on NIKE and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.84.

Key NIKE News

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Elliott Hill bought roughly $1.0M (16,388 shares) in late‑December — a direct vote of confidence from management that helped lift the stock. Nike CEO Buys $1M of Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Other high‑profile insider purchases (including a reported Tim Cook buy) and continued insider activity have reinforced investor confidence in a potential turnaround. Insider buys including Tim Cook
• Positive Sentiment: Street sentiment remains tilted toward buys/overweights and a median analyst target above current levels, giving upside if execution improves. Analyst ratings and price targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Nike’s strategic “Sport Offense” (sport‑led innovation, faster product cycles) is intended to restore brand heat but is a multi‑quarter execution story — not an immediate fix. Sport Offense strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market tone is mixed (U.S. futures weaker as year closes), which could limit follow‑through even with positive company news. Macro stock futures headlines
• Negative Sentiment: Q2 2026 results: revenue up only ~0.6% YoY while EPS fell ~32%, operating profit and operating cash flow declined materially — these metrics increase near‑term earnings and liquidity risk. Q2 2026 earnings details
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/press caution: several notes argue a North America recovery alone won’t sustain a rally — Nike needs broader international demand and margin improvement to justify higher valuations. Caution on North America reliance

NIKE Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $63.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.07 billion, a PE ratio of 37.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.29.

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

NIKE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.41 per share. This is a positive change from NIKE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. NIKE’s payout ratio is 96.47%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NIKE

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in NIKE by 697.5% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 228,889 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $15,960,000 after purchasing an additional 200,187 shares during the last quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC raised its position in shares of NIKE by 33.0% in the 2nd quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC now owns 302,320 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $21,477,000 after acquiring an additional 75,000 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in NIKE by 54.6% during the third quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 104,791 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $7,307,000 after purchasing an additional 37,019 shares during the period. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in NIKE by 238.8% in the second quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 141,356 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $10,042,000 after purchasing an additional 99,638 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banco Santander S.A. raised its holdings in NIKE by 28.3% in the second quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 221,117 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $15,708,000 after purchasing an additional 48,764 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.25% of the company’s stock.

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).