Street View: Nike's turnaround remains work in progress

Nike NKE.N forecast of a surprise drop in Q4 sales on Tuesday, as persistent weakness in China and slow progress in clearing older inventory hamper turnaround efforts

Shares of sportswear giant fall 9% to $48 premarket

COMEBACK SEASON IS LOADING

Barclays ("overweight," PT: $67) says it welcomes the aggressive reset to sales and margin consensus expectations and believes de-risking estimates gives NKE breathing room for a turnaround

BTIG ("buy," PT: $75) continues to see the 2026 World Cup as a major commercial opportunity for the industry and a Nike brand catalyst

Expects further traction from co's Sport Offense strategy and ongoing marketplace cleanup efforts, particularly in China

Jefferies ("buy," PT: $90) says football is next, with Tiempo launched and Mercurial football boots coming in June, supported by scalable platforms like Nike Mind and Aero‑FIT that can extend across sports and price points

Adds this is the "what we want more of" blueprint, increasingly evident in both product and narrative

KeyBanc ("overweight," PT: $75) sees signs of improvement at Nike, though progress over the next three quarters is expected to be uneven

Adds, co is leaning into reset actions in other geographies, with China weakness expected to offset North America's progress in the near-term