NIKE (NYSE:NKE) Price Target Cut to $74.00 by Analysts at Guggenheim

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) had its target price cut by research analysts at Guggenheim from $77.00 to $74.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the footwear maker’s stock. Guggenheim’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 40.08% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $55.00 price target (down from $73.00) on shares of NIKE in a research report on Wednesday. DZ Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of NIKE in a research note on Friday, December 19th. UBS Group lowered their target price on NIKE from $62.00 to $58.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “buy” rating on shares of NIKE in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of NIKE from $67.00 to $54.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, NIKE presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.07.

NIKE Stock Up 3.1%

Shares of NYSE NKE opened at $52.83 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $59.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $63.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.06. NIKE has a 52-week low of $50.95 and a 52-week high of $80.17. The company has a market capitalization of $78.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.27.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The footwear maker reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.03. NIKE had a net margin of 5.43% and a return on equity of 18.43%. The company had revenue of $11.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.54 earnings per share. NIKE’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that NIKE will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NIKE

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NKE. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of NIKE by 388.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 202,411 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $15,316,000 after purchasing an additional 160,980 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in NIKE during the 1st quarter valued at $311,000. United Bank increased its stake in NIKE by 11.3% during the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 17,067 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $1,212,000 after purchasing an additional 1,736 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. raised its holdings in NIKE by 83.6% during the second quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 50,759 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $3,606,000 after buying an additional 23,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of NIKE by 410.3% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 132,942 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $9,444,000 after buying an additional 106,891 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.25% of the company’s stock.

NIKE News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results beat consensus on both top and bottom lines (EPS $0.35 vs. ~ $0.31 and revenue ~$11.28B in line/above estimates), showing some operational progress and product demand in running/performance categories. TipRanks Q3 Preview
• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterated parts of the “Win Now” turnaround — tighter discounting and new product innovation were credited with stabilizing demand in some segments. Reuters: Sales Beat
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue was essentially flat year‑over‑year (reported ~$11.3B) with mixed regional performance: wholesale held up while NIKE Direct declined — important context but not an immediate positive/negative catalyst by itself. Business Wire Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts still highlight long-term upside tied to brand strength and product cycles; coverage remains skewed bullish overall despite short-term concerns. WSJ: Analyst Context
• Negative Sentiment: Forward guidance disappointed: Nike warned current-quarter revenue could decline ~2–4% and projected China sales to drop about 20%, a major hit given China’s size for the business — this is the primary driver of the stock’s decline. Invezz: Weak Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Gross‑margin pressure and narrower operating profit were highlighted (management expects margin recovery over multiple quarters), raising near‑term profitability concerns. Seeking Alpha: Margin Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risk: executives warned that unrest in the Middle East could further complicate the turnaround, adding a macro tail‑risk that may keep investors cautious. Reuters: Middle East Risk
• Negative Sentiment: Immediate market reaction: shares slid sharply in after‑hours / premarket trading, reflecting investor skepticism that the turnaround will accelerate given the new guidance and China slump. Blockonomi: Stock Plunge
• Neutral Sentiment: Some houses (e.g., Citi) maintained neutral/hold ratings citing the beat but cautious outlook; watch for upcoming analyst revisions and updated models. TipRanks: Citi Hold

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).