NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the thirty-three analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $80.26.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on NKE shares. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on shares of NIKE from $84.00 to $80.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of NIKE from $88.00 to $72.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Cfra Research upgraded shares of NIKE to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of NIKE from $105.00 to $99.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of NIKE in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Insider Activity at NIKE

In other news, Director Robert Holmes Swan bought 8,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $58.46 per share, for a total transaction of $502,756.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 31,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,869,726.18. This trade represents a 36.78% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NIKE

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in NIKE by 388.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 202,411 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $15,316,000 after purchasing an additional 160,980 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its position in NIKE by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,329 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 456 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in NIKE by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,461 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $186,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in NIKE during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,342,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in NIKE during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $196,000. 64.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NIKE Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE NKE opened at $62.82 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market cap of $92.92 billion, a PE ratio of 19.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $58.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.19. NIKE has a 52 week low of $52.28 and a 52 week high of $98.04.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The footwear maker reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $11.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.02 billion. NIKE had a net margin of 9.98% and a return on equity of 36.99%. NIKE's revenue was down 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.98 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that NIKE will post 2.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NIKE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. NIKE's dividend payout ratio is currently 53.16%.

About NIKE

NIKE, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, markets, and sells athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services worldwide. The company provides athletic and casual footwear, apparel, and accessories under the Jumpman trademark; and casual sneakers, apparel, and accessories under the Converse, Chuck Taylor, All Star, One Star, Star Chevron, and Jack Purcell trademarks.

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