Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Buys 2,357,745 Shares of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE - Free Report) by 358.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,015,267 shares of the footwear maker's stock after acquiring an additional 2,357,745 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.20% of NIKE worth $228,165,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new stake in NIKE in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. VitalStone Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of NIKE by 52.6% in the third quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 435 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of NIKE by 52.2% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 493 shares of the footwear maker's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Ecofi Investissements SA bought a new position in NIKE during the second quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in NIKE during the 3rd quarter valued at $52,000. 64.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NIKE Price Performance

Shares of NKE stock traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $71.04. 13,450,153 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,185,806. NIKE, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $70.53 and a fifty-two week high of $107.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The stock's fifty day moving average is $76.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.06. The company has a market cap of $105.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.02.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The footwear maker reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $12.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.11 billion. NIKE had a return on equity of 39.84% and a net margin of 10.60%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.03 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that NIKE, Inc. will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NIKE Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. This is a positive change from NIKE's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. NIKE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other NIKE news, Director John W. Rogers, Jr. bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $76.65 per share, with a total value of $191,625.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 34,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,636,989.95. The trade was a 7.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of NIKE from $82.00 to $80.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on NIKE from $112.00 to $109.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on NIKE from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on NIKE from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on NIKE from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $89.96.

NIKE Profile

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.