Appleton Partners Inc. MA raised its position in shares of Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) by 270.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,926 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after buying an additional 16,010 shares during the period. Appleton Partners Inc. MA’s holdings in Nike were worth $1,370,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wallington Asset Management LLC increased its position in Nike by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Wallington Asset Management LLC now owns 6,400 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 3,200 shares during the period. First Western Capital Management Co increased its position in Nike by 154.8% in the fourth quarter. First Western Capital Management Co now owns 111,675 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $6,980,000 after buying an additional 67,841 shares during the period. Lathrop Investment Management Corp increased its position in Nike by 93.4% in the fourth quarter. Lathrop Investment Management Corp now owns 214,946 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $13,434,000 after buying an additional 103,806 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Nike by 85.4% in the fourth quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 83,372 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $5,211,000 after buying an additional 38,392 shares during the period. Finally, Sigma Planning increased its position in Nike by 27.9% in the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning now owns 30,693 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $1,918,000 after buying an additional 6,703 shares during the period.

Shares of Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) opened at 62.01 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $105.61 billion and a P/E ratio of 30.12. Nike Inc has a 52 week low of $45.35 and a 52 week high of $68.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $61.83 and a 200 day moving average of $60.79.

Nike (NYSE:NKE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, December 22nd. The footwear maker reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $7.69 billion for the quarter. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.74 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Nike Inc will post $2.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 9th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 7th. This is an increase from Nike’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.06%.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on NKE shares. Citigroup Inc. reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $71.00 target price on shares of Nike in a report on Monday, October 5th. DA Davidson upgraded Nike from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Nike in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Morgan Stanley restated a “buy” rating and issued a $65.50 price target on shares of Nike in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, FBR & Co. upped their price target on Nike from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $76.92.

In other news, insider Jeanne P. Jackson sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.58, for a total transaction of $1,589,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 167,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,630,321.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John F. Slusher sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.25, for a total transaction of $2,450,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 163,104 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,990,120. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

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.

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