Companies and Brands

Nike Earnings Not Enough for Investors

Chris Lange

Published: September 27, 2016 4:50 pm

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 3:04 am

Nike, Inc. (NYSE: NKE) reported its fiscal first-quarter financial results after the markets closed on Tuesday. The company said that it had $0.73 in earnings per share (EPS) on $9.1 billion in revenue. There were consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters that called for $0.56 in EPS on $8.87 billion in revenue. The same period from last year had $0.67 in EPS on $8.41 billion in revenue.

As of August 31, worldwide futures orders for Nike Brand athletic footwear and apparel scheduled for delivery from September 2016 through January 2017 totaled $12.3 billion. This was 5% higher than orders reported for the same period last year, and 7% higher on a currency-neutral basis.

During the first quarter, Nike repurchased a total of 19.0 million shares for roughly $1.1 billion as part of its four-year, $12 billion program approved by the board of directors in November 2015. At the end of this quarter, approximately $2.2 billion had been expended in the program.

On the books, cash and short-term investments totaled $4.8 billion, $621 million lower than last year as growth in net income and proceeds from the issuance of debt in the second quarter of fiscal 2016 were more than offset by share repurchases, investments in working capital and infrastructure, higher dividends, and a reduction in collateral received from counterparties to foreign currency hedging instruments.

Mark Parker, Chairman, President and CEO, commented:

Fueled by an incredible summer of sport, NIKE delivered strong global growth—and led the industry through disruptive innovation. Q1 also showed how we’re amplifying every category through sports style innovation, transforming retail by connecting the digital and physical experience and ushering in a new Era of Personalized Performance – through product, consumer connections and our supply chain. NIKE’s strategic investments in these growth opportunities continue to deliver long-term value to our shareholders.

Shares of Nike closed Tuesday up 1.8% at $55.35, with a consensus analyst price target of $65.05 and a 52-week trading range of $51.48 to $68.19. Following the release of the earnings report, the stock was initially down 4% at $53.00 in the after-hours trading session.