Athletic apparel giant Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) is suffering a sharp pullback this morning, down 1% at $82.49, as Foot Locker (FL) headwinds offset a big bull note from Guggenheim. Specifically, the firm added NKE to its "Best Ideas" list, saying the company is positioned well to maneuver through tariff risks, and that Nike's latest earnings and robust product pipeline were impressive. Also of note, Nike has joined 31 other major retailers in signing a pact for better environmental efforts, which will be presented at this weekend's Group of Seven (G-7) summit.
Today's downside echoes the stock's recent technical troubles, with Nike shares down nearly 9% from its mid-July peak near $90. The security fell below $80 earlier this month, and a rebound off here was quickly contained by NKE's 160-day moving average.
Nevertheless, the majority of analysts share Guggenheim's optimism toward Nike stock. Prior to today, 13 of 19 covering firms maintained a "buy" or "strong buy" recommendation on the retail name. Plus, the security's average 12-month price target of $93.45 is a nearly 14% premium to current levels.
Meanwhile, the equity's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 24% ranks in the 21st annual percentile. This indicates the equity's front-month at-the-money options have priced in lower volatility expectations just 21% of the time over the last year, making options an attractive buy for traders at the moment.