Nike stock tests new lows as Morgan Stanley cuts target to 31 dollars
Published on 09/11/2026 at 14:37 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Nike, Inc. stock (ISIN US6541061031) is under heavy pressure, with the sportswear giant’s shares hovering near a 12-year low after Morgan Stanley resumed coverage on September 10, 2026 with an underweight rating and a 31.00 dollar price target, far below the prevailing market level.Investopedia reported that this Street-low target sharpened an already bearish analyst tone around the stock on September 10, 2026.
Analyst downgrades weigh on valuation
Analysts at Morgan Stanley relaunched coverage of Nike with an underweight rating and a 31.00 dollar price target, which they describe as a Street-low target well below the roughly 48.00 dollar Visible Alpha consensus cited in their note.Investopedia highlights that this implies further downside from current trading levels and adds to the sense that Wall Street may still be too optimistic about the pace of Nike’s earnings recovery.
A separate overview shows that Morgan Stanley’s 31.00 dollar target sits inside a wide range of views, with Bernstein maintaining an outperform rating and a 68.00 dollar target, while Stifel applies a hold rating with a 45.00 dollar target as of mid-September 2026.Stocktwits According to a MarketBeat analyst summary on September 11, 2026, Nike currently carries an overall consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of 50.12 dollars, underlining how Morgan Stanley’s view sits significantly below the broader analyst community.MarketBeat
Stock trades near 52-week low ahead of earnings
The negative analyst tone has coincided with a steep share price decline. As of September 10, 2026, Nike shares on the New York Stock Exchange settled at 36.62 dollars, after testing intraday lows of 36.55 dollars, which also marked a fresh 52-week low and pushed the company’s market capitalization down to about 54.3 billion dollars.MEXC Crypto Pulse A separate filing report notes the same 1-year low of 36.55 dollars and a 1-year high of 76.97 dollars, highlighting how far the stock has fallen from its recent peak.MarketBeat
Price performance has been weak for months. One analysis points out that Nike stock is down about 34 percent over the last six months, with shares quoted around 37.00 dollars as of September 10, 2026 in that snapshot.Tikr Another market update notes that NKE fell to a fresh 52-week low of 36.55 dollars on September 10, 2026, extending a fourth consecutive session of declines and leaving the stock on track for a third week of losses.Yahoo Finance
Earnings expectations and technical pressure
The sell-off is unfolding just ahead of Nike’s upcoming quarterly earnings report, scheduled for October 1, 2026, which has become a key date for investors assessing whether the company can arrest the recent slide.MEXC Crypto Pulse In an earnings preview, Zacks estimates approximately 11.43 billion dollars of revenue and 0.44 dollars in earnings per share for Nike’s upcoming quarter, figures that will be closely watched as a test of how the business is coping with macro headwinds and competition.MEXC Crypto Pulse
The technical picture mirrors the fundamental concerns. MEXC notes that Nike’s 14-day Relative Strength Index fell to 28 on September 10, 2026, signaling extreme oversold conditions on daily charts as the price tested the 36.55 dollar low.MEXC Crypto Pulse The article also emphasizes the importance of the 35.00 dollar price level as a psychological boundary and a focal point for institutional put open interest, meaning that a clean break below that zone could trigger additional hedging activity and potentially further volatility.
Broader sentiment and index implications
Sentiment around Nike has weakened not only at the stock level but also in index terms. A feature from The Business Times notes that Nike is set to be removed from the S&P 100 index in September 2026 after nearly 18 years in the benchmark, underscoring how the company’s market stature has diminished as its share price and market capitalization have fallen.The Business Times For long-term investors, loss of membership in such a high-profile index can matter because it may prompt index funds and certain institutional mandates to gradually reduce their holdings.
Despite that, some large institutions have recently increased their stakes. MarketBeat highlights that investors such as National Pension Service and California State Teachers Retirement System have grown their holdings in Nike as of September 11, 2026, indicating that not all professional investors are abandoning the name even as the share price comes under pressure.MarketBeatMarketBeat For retail investors, this mixed picture – bearish analyst calls but continued institutional interest – helps explain why consensus still sits at Hold rather than outright Sell.
Nike stock price and investor perspective
Nike stock last closed at 36.62 dollars on the New York Stock Exchange on September 10, 2026, with that price sitting just above the 52-week low of 36.55 dollars and far below the 1-year high of 76.97 dollars, leaving the company’s market capitalization at about 54.3 billion dollars as of that date. For investors, the upcoming October 1, 2026 earnings release and the market’s reaction to any deviation from the roughly 11.43 billion dollars revenue and 0.44 dollars EPS expectations will be central to whether Nike stock can stabilize above the critical 35.00 dollar support level or whether analyst pessimism such as Morgan Stanley’s 31.00 dollar target will continue to dominate sentiment.
Nike stock key data
- Company: Nike, Inc.
- ISIN: US6541061031
- Ticker: NKE
- Trading venue: New York Stock Exchange
- Price (as of September 10, 2026): 36.62 USD
- Market capitalization: 54.3 billion USD (as of September 10, 2026)
- Sector / Industry: Consumer Discretionary / Apparel, Footwear and Accessories
- Index membership: S&P 500
- Next earnings date: October 1, 2026
