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

NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-nine research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $96.30.

NKE has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group raised their price objective on NIKE from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on NIKE from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of NIKE from $104.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of NIKE from $79.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of NIKE from $88.00 to $79.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 26th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NIKE

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ING Groep NV bought a new position in shares of NIKE in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,628,000. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in NIKE by 19.5% in the third quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 41,510 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $3,669,000 after acquiring an additional 6,778 shares during the last quarter. Bristlecone Advisors LLC grew its holdings in NIKE by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bristlecone Advisors LLC now owns 93,521 shares of the footwear maker's stock worth $8,267,000 after acquiring an additional 11,665 shares during the period. WoodTrust Financial Corp raised its position in shares of NIKE by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. WoodTrust Financial Corp now owns 98,289 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $8,689,000 after acquiring an additional 16,303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its stake in shares of NIKE by 44.8% in the 3rd quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 194,101 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $17,159,000 after purchasing an additional 60,008 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.25% of the company's stock.

NIKE Stock Performance

NKE stock traded down $1.07 on Wednesday, reaching $72.84. 3,562,626 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,461,189. The firm has a market capitalization of $109.21 billion, a PE ratio of 21.18, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.03. NIKE has a 12 month low of $70.75 and a 12 month high of $123.39. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $80.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $82.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.58.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 1st. The footwear maker reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.18. NIKE had a net margin of 10.60% and a return on equity of 39.84%. The company had revenue of $11.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. The business's revenue was down 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that NIKE will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NIKE Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This is a boost from NIKE's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. NIKE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.41%.

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.