Leelyn Smith LLC Purchases 4,107 Shares of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE)

Leelyn Smith LLC boosted its position in shares of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) by 12.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,192 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,107 shares during the quarter. Leelyn Smith LLC’s holdings in NIKE were worth $3,376,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

NIKE Stock Up 3.1 %

NKE stock opened at $77.40 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $116.05 billion, a PE ratio of 22.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. NIKE, Inc. has a twelve month low of $70.75 and a twelve month high of $123.39. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $80.51 and its 200-day moving average is $82.67.

NIKE (NYSE:NKE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 1st. The footwear maker reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $11.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that NIKE, Inc. will post 2.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NIKE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This is a positive change from NIKE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. NIKE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NKE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Guggenheim lowered their price target on NIKE from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of NIKE from $82.00 to $80.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of NIKE from $79.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on NIKE from $80.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their target price on NIKE from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.86.

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.