NIKE, Inc. $NKE Shares Purchased by WT Asset Management Ltd

Key Points

• WT Asset Management boosted its NIKE stake by 1,729.6% in Q4 to 640,350 shares worth about $40.8 million, making NKE its 24th-largest holding.
• Insiders increased exposure — CEO Elliott Hill bought 23,660 shares (~$1.0M) and director Robert Holmes Swan bought 11,781 shares, part of 64,441 insider purchases in the past 90 days, signaling management confidence.
• Analysts have cut price targets and taken a cautious stance (consensus rating: Hold, target $62.34), while short interest rose ~22.8% to ~56.1M shares amid layoffs and ongoing skepticism about the turnaround.

WT Asset Management Ltd increased its position in shares of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE - Free Report) by 1,729.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 640,350 shares of the footwear maker's stock after buying an additional 605,350 shares during the period. NIKE accounts for 1.6% of WT Asset Management Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. WT Asset Management Ltd's holdings in NIKE were worth $40,797,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NKE. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP acquired a new position in NIKE during the third quarter worth $34,200,000. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NIKE in the third quarter valued at about $1,743,000. Park National Corp OH increased its stake in shares of NIKE by 81.5% during the fourth quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 431,055 shares of the footwear maker's stock worth $27,463,000 after purchasing an additional 193,514 shares in the last quarter. Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Ve Gananot Havera Menahelet LTD raised its position in shares of NIKE by 106.1% during the 3rd quarter. Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Ve Gananot Havera Menahelet LTD now owns 205,082 shares of the footwear maker's stock worth $14,343,000 after purchasing an additional 105,569 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aberdeen Group plc lifted its stake in NIKE by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 1,914,243 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $121,956,000 after buying an additional 72,681 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.25% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Elliott Hill purchased 23,660 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $42.27 per share, with a total value of $1,000,108.20. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 265,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,211,990.69. This represents a 9.79% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Holmes Swan purchased 11,781 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $42.44 per share, with a total value of $499,985.64. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 55,074 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,337,340.56. The trade was a 27.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders bought 64,441 shares of company stock worth $2,734,204. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

NIKE Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NIKE stock opened at $44.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.45. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $52.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.40. The stock has a market cap of $66.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.31. NIKE, Inc. has a 1-year low of $42.09 and a 1-year high of $80.17.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The footwear maker reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.06. The firm 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 earnings per share. Analysts predict that NIKE, Inc. will post 1.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NIKE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. NIKE's payout ratio is currently 108.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on NKE. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $52.00 target price (down from $76.00) on shares of NIKE in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of NIKE in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price target on NIKE from $65.00 to $55.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. 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 note on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on NIKE from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $62.34.

Key NIKE News

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "buy" on NKE, keeping institutional-level support for the turnaround thesis and signaling confidence from an influential sell-side shop. MarketScreener
• Positive Sentiment: CEO-level confidence: reports say Nike's CEO personally increased a compensation/skin-in-the-game commitment by $1M, which investors often view as alignment with shareholder interests. MSN
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction to the latest cost actions was initially supportive: NKE ticked up after-hours when the company announced another round of layoffs, suggesting investors see near-term margin/cash-flow benefits. MSN After-hours
• Positive Sentiment: DZ Bank also reaffirmed a buy rating, adding a second endorsement from the sell-side that supports the case for recovery if execution improves. AmericanBankingNews
• Neutral Sentiment: Nike announced roughly 1,400 job cuts (mainly in technology) as part of its "Win Now" efficiency push — a move that should reduce costs but also underscores that the turnaround is still in progress. WSJ
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jumped ~22.8% in April to ~56.1M shares (≈3.8% of float), signaling growing bearish positioning and increased potential selling pressure despite a modest days-to-cover ratio (~1.4). (internal short-interest report)
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst debate and structural concerns persist: commentary about a potential "generational reset" and multi-year share losses reflects skepticism that execution and product momentum will recover quickly. Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure and talent migration (e.g., a former Nike executive named CEO at Lululemon) highlight market-share threats that could weigh on near-term sales recovery. FinancialPost

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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