GFS Advisors LLC Raises Position in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE)

GFS Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 171,931 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after buying an additional 9,618 shares during the quarter. NIKE accounts for approximately 2.0% of GFS Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding. GFS Advisors LLC’s holdings in NIKE were worth $13,010,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new stake in shares of NIKE during the third quarter worth about $30,000. VitalStone Financial LLC increased its holdings in NIKE by 52.6% during the 3rd quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 435 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position in shares of NIKE by 52.2% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 493 shares of the footwear maker’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of NIKE during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NIKE during the third quarter worth approximately $54,000. 64.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John W. Rogers, Jr. bought 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $76.65 per share, for a total transaction of $191,625.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,636,989.95. This trade represents a 7.84 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

NIKE Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of NIKE stock opened at $76.82 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.51. NIKE, Inc. has a 1-year low of $70.32 and a 1-year high of $107.43. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $75.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.95. The company has a market capitalization of $113.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.71, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.02.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The footwear maker reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $12.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.11 billion. NIKE had a return on equity of 36.99% and a net margin of 9.98%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.03 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that NIKE, Inc. will post 2.09 EPS for the current year.

NIKE Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.40 dividend. This is a positive change from NIKE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. NIKE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on NKE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of NIKE from $77.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of NIKE from $95.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of NIKE in a report on Thursday, December 26th. Barclays reduced their target price on NIKE from $79.00 to $70.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on NIKE from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Fourteen investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.96.

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.