Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) has been assigned a $70.00 price target by equities research analysts at Robert W. Baird in a research report issued on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has a a “buy” rating on the footwear maker’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price target suggests a potential upside of 14.55% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on NKE. MKM Partners restated a “sell” rating on shares of Nike in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley restated a “buy” rating on shares of Nike in a research report on Wednesday, December 23rd. Sterne Agee CRT decreased their price objective on shares of Nike to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 23rd. Cowen and Company reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Nike in a research note on Wednesday, December 23rd. Finally, B. Riley reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Nike in a research note on Wednesday, December 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Nike has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $77.05.

In other news, insider Trevor A. Edwards sold 132,000 shares of Nike stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.37, for a total transaction of $17,208,840.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 261,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,074,546.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jeanne P. Jackson sold 25,000 shares of Nike stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.58, for a total value of $1,589,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 167,196 shares in the company, valued at $10,630,321.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Nike (NYSE:NKE) traded up 0.68% during midday trading on Friday, reaching $61.11. 7,999,310 shares of the company traded hands. Nike has a one year low of $45.35 and a one year high of $68.19. The company has a market capitalization of $104.08 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.68. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $62.33 and its 200 day moving average is $60.71.

Nike (NYSE:NKE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 22nd. The footwear maker reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.04. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.74 EPS. The company had revenue of $7.69 billion for the quarter. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Nike will post $2.15 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 9th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 7th. This is a boost from Nike’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.09%.

Several hedge funds and institutional investors recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Harding Loevner LP boosted its position in Nike by 75.6% in the fourth quarter. Harding Loevner LP now owns 6,907,493 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $431,670,000 after buying an additional 2,973,657 shares during the last quarter. BTIM Corp. boosted its position in Nike by 87.6% in the fourth quarter. BTIM Corp. now owns 1,452,399 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $90,775,000 after buying an additional 678,249 shares during the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings boosted its position in Nike by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings now owns 1,318,567 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $82,411,000 after buying an additional 151,503 shares during the last quarter. British Columbia Investment Management Corp boosted its position in Nike by 141.1% in the fourth quarter. British Columbia Investment Management Corp now owns 1,237,912 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $77,370,000 after buying an additional 724,509 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. boosted its position in Nike by 88.6% in the fourth quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 819,242 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $51,202,000 after buying an additional 384,748 shares during the last quarter.

NIKE, Inc. is engaged in the design, development, marketing and selling of athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories and services. The Company sells its products to retail accounts, through NIKE-owned retail stores and Internet Websites (NYSE:NKE), and through a mix of independent distributors and licensees throughout the world. The Company focuses its NIKE Brand product offerings in eight key categories: Running, Basketball, Football (Soccer), Men’s Training, Women’s Training, Action Sports, Sportswear (the Company’s sports-inspired lifestyle products) and Golf. The Company also markets products designed for kids, as well as for other athletic and recreational uses, such as cricket, lacrosse, tennis, volleyball, wrestling, walking and outdoor activities. The Company’s portfolio brands include the NIKE Brand, Jordan Brand, Hurley and Converse.

12 Month Chart for NYSE:NKE

Receive News & Ratings for Nike Inc Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nike Inc and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.