HighTower Advisors LLC Acquires 915,803 Shares of NIKE, Inc. $NKE

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors more than doubled its NIKE stake in the fourth quarter, buying 915,803 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 1,747,893 shares worth about $111.4 million.
• Institutional interest in NIKE remains strong overall, with major investors like Vanguard, Capital World, and others also adding to positions; institutions now own about 64.25% of the company.
• NIKE continues to face mixed signals: analysts have lowered price targets and the stock is near its 12-month low, while the company’s latest earnings topped estimates and insiders, including the CEO, have recently purchased shares.

HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE - Free Report) by 110.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,747,893 shares of the footwear maker's stock after purchasing an additional 915,803 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.12% of NIKE worth $111,358,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of NIKE by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 116,993,541 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $7,453,658,000 after purchasing an additional 1,702,342 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of NIKE by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 42,239,013 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $2,945,326,000 after purchasing an additional 286,615 shares during the period. Flossbach Von Storch SE lifted its stake in shares of NIKE by 29.3% in the 4th quarter. Flossbach Von Storch SE now owns 12,753,317 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $812,514,000 after purchasing an additional 2,886,856 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of NIKE by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 12,561,334 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $875,902,000 after purchasing an additional 404,136 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of NIKE by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 11,838,528 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $825,501,000 after purchasing an additional 3,518,666 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.25% of the company's stock.

Key NIKE News

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: NIKE is expanding its digital and technology strategy by partnering with Google to use AI tools that could improve product discovery and support sales growth. Nike Turns to Google’s AI to Lift Sales, But NKE Stock Keeps Falling
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles frame NIKE versus Wolverine as a comparison of business models, with NIKE leaning on athlete-led innovation and direct-to-consumer reach while Wolverine emphasizes niche brands and tighter promotions. NIKE vs. Wolverine: Which Footwear Player Is Built to Win?
• Neutral Sentiment: Some investors and commentators are asking whether NIKE stock looks attractive after recent weakness, suggesting the market is weighing recovery potential against ongoing execution risks. Should You Buy the Dip on Nike Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing weakness in China remains the biggest near-term concern, with reports citing soft consumer demand, stronger local competition, and inventory issues that could delay a sustained rebound. Is NIKE's China Recovery a Catalyst or Continuing Concern?

Insider Activity at NIKE

In related news, Director Timothy D. Cook purchased 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $42.43 per share, with a total value of $1,060,750.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 130,480 shares in the company, valued at $5,536,266.40. This represents a 23.70% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Elliott Hill purchased 23,660 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $42.27 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,108.20. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 265,247 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,211,990.69. This represents a 9.79% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders bought 64,441 shares of company stock worth $2,734,204. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NKE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $55.00 price target (down from $73.00) on shares of NIKE in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price target on NIKE from $35.00 to $23.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. UBS Group cut their price target on NIKE from $58.00 to $54.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. DA Davidson downgraded shares of NIKE from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the company from $72.00 to $46.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of NIKE from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $62.04.

NIKE Stock Performance

Shares of NIKE stock opened at $42.44 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $62.85 billion, a PE ratio of 28.11, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.12. NIKE, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.35 and a 12 month high of $80.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $47.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $57.70.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The footwear maker reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $11.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.23 billion. NIKE had a return on equity of 16.41% and a net margin of 4.84%.The firm's revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.54 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that NIKE, Inc. will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

NIKE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. NIKE's payout ratio is presently 108.61%.

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).

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