Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 126,462 Shares of NIKE, Inc. $NKE

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group reduced its NIKE stake by 4.2%, selling 126,462 shares in Q4 and now holds 2,916,205 shares (about 0.20% of the company) valued at roughly $185.8 million.
• NIKE faces downward pressure after disappointing earnings/guidance and multiple analyst target cuts, leaving the stock near multi‑year/12‑year lows; however, insiders recently bought shares. The company now has a ~3.9% dividend yield and an average analyst rating of "Hold" with a $63.31 average price target.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its stake in shares of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE - Free Report) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,916,205 shares of the footwear maker's stock after selling 126,462 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.20% of NIKE worth $185,791,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NKE. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP bought a new position in shares of NIKE in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,200,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of NIKE by 697.5% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 228,889 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $15,960,000 after acquiring an additional 200,187 shares in the last quarter. Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of NIKE in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,743,000. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of NIKE by 54.6% in the third quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 104,791 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $7,307,000 after acquiring an additional 37,019 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park National Corp OH grew its holdings in shares of NIKE by 81.5% in the fourth quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 431,055 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $27,463,000 after acquiring an additional 193,514 shares in the last quarter. 64.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on NKE. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of NIKE in a report on Friday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on NIKE from $85.00 to $70.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. BTIG Research dropped their price objective on NIKE from $90.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of NIKE in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, China Renaissance dropped their price objective on NIKE from $74.60 to $50.30 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NIKE currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $63.31.

NIKE News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting NIKE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company director Robert Holmes Swan purchased 11,781 shares at ~\$42.44, a sizable insider buy that can signal confidence in near-term downside support. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Nike won the UEFA Champions League match-ball sponsorship from Adidas — a high-visibility win that could help marketing momentum but likely won’t immediately offset operational headwinds. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: The share-price decline has pushed Nike’s dividend yield and yield attractiveness higher, which may draw income-focused buyers while the operational reset plays out. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Piper Sandler set a Neutral rating with a $50 price target (down from $60), framing Nike as a tactical trade rather than a clear long-term buy or sell; that leaves room for both rebound and further disappointment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Senior innovation leadership is exiting — Tony/Tom Bignall (chief innovation officer) left after under a year — raising investor concern that Nike’s turnaround execution lacks stability and outside perspective. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent earnings and guidance disappointed: revenue growth stalled, digital sales slipped, and company guidance for the fiscal quarter was lighter than consensus — prompting steep analyst estimate cuts. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/structural headwinds persist: industry-wide sneaker weakness and intensifying competition, plus a slow recovery in China, are cited as existential pressures by multiple outlets. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Price and sentiment momentum are negative: the stock has hit new multi‑year and 52‑week lows, and several shops have cut targets/ratings (Piper Sandler, CICC, others), reinforcing downside pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/reputational risk: reports of a data‑breach class action add another potential drag (remediation costs, customer churn). Read More.

Insider Buying and Selling at NIKE

In related news, Director Robert Holmes Swan bought 11,781 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $42.44 per share, for a total transaction of $499,985.64. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John W. Rogers, Jr. bought 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 9th. The shares were bought at an average price of $43.34 per share, for a total transaction of $173,360.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 41,022 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,777,893.48. This represents a 10.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

NIKE Price Performance

NIKE stock opened at $42.59 on Monday. NIKE, Inc. has a 12 month low of $42.36 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 business's 50 day simple moving average is $56.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.07. The company has a market cap of $63.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.21, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.31.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. 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 business's quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.54 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that NIKE, Inc. will post 2.05 EPS for the current year.

NIKE Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. NIKE's dividend payout ratio is currently 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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