:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-2235559949-4e152ee5aebf4ec1a5d47693289c94a7.jpg "Nike Stock Is Getting a Lift Today. The Reason? Apple CEO Tim Cook")
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Key Takeaways
- Shares of Nike rose Wednesday, helped by news of a buy from Apple CEO Tim Cook, a member of the company’s board.
- Cook bought at average prices near $59, well below Wall Street analysts’ consensus price target around $80.
A vote of confidence from the leader of one big brand is helping the shares of another today.
Shares of Nike (NKE) climbed on Wednesday’s holiday-shortened trading session—the shares were recently up about 4.5%, leading all gainers on the S&P 500—following an expression of support from Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Why This Matters to Investors
As a general rule, investors sell shares when they think they have better uses for the money—and those reasons can be hard to divine. The other side of that coin is that investors only buy shares when they think they’re poised to rise. That’s why watching the trades of people associated with a particular company is part of many investors’ strategies.
A regulatory filing revealed that Cook, a member of Nike’s board for two decades, bought nearly $3 million worth of Nike stock on Monday, acquiring 50,000 shares—a rough doubling of his stake—at a weighted average price of $58.97, not far off Friday’s close.
Even with today’s surge, Nike shares have lost about 20% of their value this year. The company is about a year into a turnaround launched by CEO Elliot Hill, and while management believes it’s made substantial progress investors are still wary.
Whatever investors may think of the shares, Wall Street analysts are generally positive. The mean price target as tracked by Visible Alpha is around $80, substantially above recent prices closer to $60.
“We think consensus estimates are bottoming and see several catalysts that could drive healthier growth,” Bank of America analysts wrote recently. “We expect gradual progress on innovation will begin to offset the sell down of older styles.”
