Franklin Resources Inc. Purchases 546,200 Shares of NIKE, Inc. $NKE

Key Points

• Franklin Resources added 546,200 shares in Q3, raising its NIKE stake to 8,841,248 shares (about 0.60% of the company) valued at roughly $616.5 million.
• Analysts are broadly positive: NIKE has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy (23 Buys, 11 Holds, 1 Sell) with a consensus target of $74.90 versus the recent stock price of $55.70.
• Corporate insiders increased holdings (Director Robert Holmes Swan bought 8,691 shares and Director Timothy D. Cook bought 50,000 shares) while NIKE declared a quarterly dividend of $0.41 (annualized yield ~2.9%, payout ratio ~96%).

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE - Free Report) by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,841,248 shares of the footwear maker's stock after buying an additional 546,200 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.60% of NIKE worth $616,500,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of NKE. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC grew its holdings in NIKE by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,441 shares of the footwear maker's stock worth $244,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. St. Clair Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of NIKE by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. St. Clair Advisors LLC now owns 15,217 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $1,061,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Spirepoint Private Client LLC boosted its position in shares of NIKE by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Spirepoint Private Client LLC now owns 36,140 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $2,520,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd boosted its position in shares of NIKE by 18.5% during the 2nd quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd now owns 997 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC grew its stake in NIKE by 8.0% during the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 2,113 shares of the footwear maker's stock worth $147,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.25% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on NKE shares. Needham & Company LLC downgraded NIKE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of NIKE in a report on Monday, January 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of NIKE from $77.00 to $76.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of NIKE in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "buy" rating on shares of NIKE in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $74.90.

NIKE Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:NKE opened at $55.70 on Thursday. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.28 and a 52-week high of $80.17. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $62.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $65.96. The firm has a market cap of $82.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.76, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.27.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 5.43%.The firm had revenue of $12.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.78 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that NIKE, Inc. will post 2.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NIKE Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. NIKE's payout ratio is 96.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NIKE

In other NIKE news, Director Robert Holmes Swan acquired 8,691 shares of NIKE stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $57.54 per share, for a total transaction of $500,080.14. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 43,293 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,491,079.22. This represents a 25.12% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Timothy D. Cook bought 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $58.97 per share, with a total value of $2,948,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 105,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,220,155.60. This represents a 90.12% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders acquired 75,079 shares of company stock worth $4,449,887. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

NIKE News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays upgrade to Overweight and higher price target — Barclays upgraded NKE from Equal-Weight to Overweight and raised its target (reported as $73), calling the shares likely at a “fundamental bottom” and citing operational progress; that upgrade is the primary catalyst for the intraday uplift. Nike's Stock Gets an Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat deep-dive: North America recovery & inventory cleanup — Recent reporting highlights a clear North America rebound (wholesale/orderbook improvements), a healthier product pipeline, and fewer promotions — factors that support margin recovery and validate Barclays’ view. Just Buy It? Barclays Thinks Nike Is Ready to Run
• Positive Sentiment: Broad analyst attention & market reaction — Multiple outlets note the upgrade and project ~30% upside from current levels; Nike led the Dow in early trade on the news, signaling short-term momentum and renewed investor interest. Nike stock rises 2% as Barclays upgrades
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and reassessment after a sharp pullback — Some analysts are recalculating fair value after recent share-price declines; the stock’s lower level has opened value-argument conversations but still depends on execution. Assessing Nike Valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Other bullish reiterations — Firms like RBC have reiterated constructive calls, but their takes emphasize the same conditional drivers (China recovery, margin trends). These reinforce confidence but don’t add a new catalyst. RBC Sees Path to Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Lingering headwinds — Greater China weakness, Converse challenges, tariff uncertainty and earlier gross-margin pressure remain real risks; the recovery narrative depends on continued improvement across these areas. Nike Stock Gets an Upgrade — Investors Are Too Skeptical
• Negative Sentiment: Recent multi-session selloff prior to upgrade — The stock endured a notable pullback (weekly losses and a one-year decline) that raises the bar for sustained upside until margins and international results stabilize. Nike drops for the seventh straight session

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).

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