Nike IncNKEPAST TOP PICKOct 15, 2025Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Sep 25, 2026. Market Open.
Several levels of trouble. He added recently ~$45. Not looking for homeruns. Potential for it to get back up to mid-upper $50s is realistic. Still very expensive at 30x forward PE. Unless they can figure out the China headwinds, it will struggle. Every time it rallies, it's likely to a lower high. Selloffs will be to lower lows.
Growth story for decades, but now a mature clothing company. A trade, not an investment.
He had bought NKE as a turnaround story, which didn't really play out so he exited. Both are retail turnarounds with very strong brands. Logistically, it's very hard to turn around a brand and rejig the supply chain. These turnarounds take longer, with significantly more risk. (Compare that to a TD, which just had to cope with the one-time charge of a financial penalty.)
For NKE, with growing anti-American sentiment it could be hard to turn things around. LULU could, sometime, be a takeout target by private equity or another retailer. But that's not a reason to buy, especially when earnings and cashflow are still declining.
He did his "down from cost" review, and found that his turnaround thesis had changed. Three things limit upside. Tariffs. Structural changes in the Chinese business that will be difficult to overcome. Anti-American sentiment. He used the Q1 rally to exit.