Nike Stock (NKE) Before Q4 Earnings: Smart Buy or Risky Bet?
Nike’s Q4 earnings drop is coming—will the Swoosh soar or stumble?
Investors are sweating it out ahead of Nike’s Q4 report. The athletic giant’s stock has been a rollercoaster—bulls see a rebound play, bears smell overpriced hype. Here’s the breakdown.
Earnings season: Where hope and spreadsheet models collide.
Wall Street’s whispering about supply chain fixes and direct-to-consumer growth. But let’s be real—every ‘strategic pivot’ lately just means ‘we’re raising prices again.’
The verdict? Nike’s either primed for a breakout or one bad tweet away from a 10% plunge. Place your bets.
Confident Investing Starts Here:
- Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions
- Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter
What to Expect from Nike’s Q4 Earnings
Wall Street analysts expect Nike to report earnings of $0.12 per share for Q4, down 88% from the year-ago quarter. At the same time, analysts project Q4 revenues at $10.70 billion, according to the TipRanks Analyst Forecasts Page. The figure marks a year-over-year decrease of over 15%.
Analyst’s Views Ahead of Q4 Print
Ahead of the Q4 print, Needham analyst Tom Nikic lowered his price target on Nike to $66 from $75 but maintained a Buy rating. He believes the company’s long-term outlook remains solid, thanks to recent leadership changes. However, near-term challenges persist. Nikic pointed to weak demand for key product lines like Jordan and Dunk, a lack of brand momentum, and added pressure from tariffs. While he expects Nike to slightly beat expectations in Q4, he has trimmed his earnings forecasts for 2026 and 2027.
Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley analyst Alex Straton also reduced his price target to $61 from $70, and kept a neutral rating on the stock. He believes Nike’s recovery could take longer than expected, partly due to tariff issues and a weaker global outlook. Straton added that demand at retailers is still weak. He also noted that Nike’s recent product launches haven’t resonated with consumers, and the brand has yet to regain its momentum in the market. That said, with expectations already low ahead of the earnings report, any small positive surprise could help lift the stock in the short term.
Is Nike Stock a Buy or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on NKE stock based on 13 Buys and 12 Holds assigned in the last three months. Furthermore, the average NKE price target of $73.68 per share implies 23.8% upside potential.
