Archived article

Please note that tax, investment, pension and ISA rules can change and the information and any views contained in this article may now be inaccurate.

The sportswear giant is taking a scythe to costs as sales growth and rivals eat into its market share


Investors in Nike (NKE:NYSE) have endured an unusually tough period of late with shares in the Oregon-based sportswear giant down 15% over one year amid slowing growth and weaker consumer spending.

Fierce competition from fast-growing trainer brands and some self-inflicted wounds have also knocked Nike off track: the brand has lost a number of athlete relationships in recent years including footballers Harry Kane and Jack Grealish and tennis and golf legends Roger Federer and Tiger Woods to name a few.

The sneakers-to-soccer ball behemoth is forecast to deliver a sequential decline in revenue and earnings when it posts third-quarter results on 21 March.


Investors will be looking for evidence of improving profitability and a step-up in performance in the US and Europe when Nike dashes in with its numbers, but a sharp uptick in sales looks unlikely considering the ‘softer second-half revenue outlook’ flagged by chief financial officer Matthew Friend in a downbeat second-quarter update in December, where Nike lowered its revenue view on weaker demand, in particular from China and Europe, and outlined plans for a $2 billion cost-cutting programme.

The company’s ‘save to invest’ plan is aimed at streamlining the business, creating a simplified range of products and boosting its use of automation. 


US UPDATES OVER THE NEXT 7 DAYS

QUARTERLY RESULTS

15 March: Buckle, GigaCloud Technology, Groupon

19 March: Tencent Music Entertainment, Core Main, Orla Mining 

20 March: Micron, General Mills, Five Below, Chewy, H B Fuller, Guess, Winnebago Industries, Signet Jewelers, KB Home, Steelcase

21 March: Accenture, Nike, FedEx, Carnival Corp, FactSet Research

 

‹ Previous2024-03-14Next ›