Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Purchases 389,047 Shares of NIKE, Inc. $NKE

Key Points

• Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. boosted its NIKE stake by 48.8% in the fourth quarter, buying 389,047 more shares and bringing its total to 1,185,742 shares worth about $75.5 million.
• NIKE’s latest quarterly earnings beat expectations, with EPS of $0.35 versus the $0.29 estimate and revenue of $11.28 billion, slightly above forecasts.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious overall: the stock has a Hold consensus rating and a $62.04 price target, while several firms recently cut ratings or reduced price targets as NIKE trades near its 12-month low.

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. raised its stake in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE - Free Report) by 48.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,185,742 shares of the footwear maker's stock after acquiring an additional 389,047 shares during the period. NIKE makes up 1.4% of Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.'s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. owned approximately 0.08% of NIKE worth $75,543,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new stake in NIKE in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd bought a new stake in NIKE in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in NIKE by 268.6% in the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 516 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in NIKE in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Matrix Trust Co increased its holdings in NIKE by 43.6% in the 4th quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 596 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. 64.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on NKE. Williams Trading reduced their price target on shares of NIKE from $80.00 to $57.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. DA Davidson downgraded shares of NIKE from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $72.00 to $46.00 in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. DZ Bank reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of NIKE in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of NIKE in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of NIKE from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $62.04.

NIKE Price Performance

NKE stock opened at $42.44 on Wednesday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $47.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.70. The stock has a market cap of $62.85 billion, a PE ratio of 28.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.12.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The footwear maker reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.06. NIKE had a net margin of 4.84% and a return on equity of 16.41%. The firm had revenue of $11.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.54 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that NIKE, Inc. will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current year.

NIKE Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at NIKE

In related news, Director Timothy D. Cook acquired 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $42.43 per share, with a total value of $1,060,750.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 130,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,536,266.40. This represents a 23.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert Holmes Swan acquired 11,781 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $42.44 per share, with a total value of $499,985.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 55,074 shares in the company, valued at $2,337,340.56. This trade represents a 27.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders purchased 64,441 shares of company stock valued at $2,734,204 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting NIKE

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?

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).

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