Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Trims Stock Position in NIKE, Inc. $NKE

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC lessened its holdings in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 6.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 174,022 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after selling 12,049 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in NIKE were worth $11,087,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its position in shares of NIKE by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 6,537 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $416,000 after buying an additional 620 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. raised its position in shares of NIKE by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 24,894 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $1,586,000 after buying an additional 1,925 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of NIKE in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $270,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in shares of NIKE by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 293,920 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $18,725,000 after buying an additional 6,692 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sittner & Nelson LLC raised its position in shares of NIKE by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 30,336 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $1,939,000 after buying an additional 986 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.25% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at NIKE

In other news, Director John W. Rogers, Jr. bought 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 9th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $43.34 per share, for a total transaction of $173,360.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 41,022 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,777,893.48. This trade represents a 10.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Elliott Hill bought 23,660 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $42.27 per share, with a total value of $1,000,108.20. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 265,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,211,990.69. This trade represents a 9.79% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased 64,441 shares of company stock worth $2,734,204 over the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

NIKE Stock Performance

Shares of NKE stock opened at $43.66 on Friday. NIKE, Inc. has a one year low of $41.35 and a one year high of $80.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a current ratio of 2.14. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $45.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.12.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The footwear maker reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.06. NIKE had a net margin of 4.84% and a return on equity of 16.41%. The company had revenue of $11.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.54 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that NIKE, Inc. will post 1.49 EPS for the current year.

NIKE Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. NIKE’s dividend payout ratio is presently 108.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on NKE shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of NIKE from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of NIKE in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective (down from $73.00) on shares of NIKE in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $50.00 price objective (down from $60.00) on shares of NIKE in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of NIKE from $65.00 to $56.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $62.04.

Key NIKE News

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Negative Sentiment: NIKE faces renewed pressure from inventory cleanup, sportswear weakness, and China headwinds that may keep sales and margins under strain. NKE Stock Slips Below 50-Day SMA: A Warning Sign for Investors?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded NIKE from hold to strong sell, which can weigh on investor sentiment. Zacks downgrade report
• Negative Sentiment: A DCF analysis from GuruFocus suggested NIKE may be trading well above its estimated intrinsic value, reinforcing valuation concerns. NKE DCF Analysis: Intrinsic Value $19 vs Price $44
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles noted that NIKE is attracting investor attention, but did not add new fundamental catalysts beyond general market interest. NIKE, Inc. (NKE) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: NIKE’s AI push and internal automation efforts highlight a longer-term efficiency strategy, but investors are still questioning near-term margin benefits and dividend strength. Nike’s AI Push Raises Questions On Margins And Dividend Strength
• Neutral Sentiment: NIKE’s upcoming connection to Lululemon’s CEO transition is notable, as incoming Lululemon CEO Heidi O’Neill will join after her NIKE non-compete expires, but the article is more relevant to LULU than NKE. Lululemon’s next CEO knows how to get it ‘back on track’: Analyst

NIKE 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).