Nike blazer mid vintage close up on their box package

Nike Blazers inside their box (Getty Images)

So Win.

Nike’s stock is dunking on the market this week as analysts anticipate new restocking cycle

The Shoe Dog is still chipping away at its inventory pile, while gently rebalancing away from direct-to-consumer.

2/26/25 8:27AM

Companies with cultural cache like Nike are often in the spotlight. Right now, a much-hyped collaboration with Kim Kardashian, a viral marketing campaign, a top-prize Premier League payout, and, you guessed it, a series of train heists amounting to almost $2 million worth of sneakers being shoe-lifted in the US last year are all keeping the Swoosh in the headlines.

But there’s another reason the company is attracting attention this week. The footwear and apparel giant’s stock has been dunking on the wider market, just as fear has set into some investors’ minds, with Nike’s stock gaining 6% over the last five days while the S&P 500 Index has shed ~3%. That’s a welcome respite for Nike shareholders, who have endured the stock plummeting by more than 50% since peaking in November 2021, with its worst day ever in June 2024.

Analysts cited by Barron’s on Monday raised their price target for Nike due to its “strong margin and earnings recovery opportunity,” off the back of the brand’s massive excess inventory pile being progressively cleared. Indeed, investors are hoping that the aggressive discounts in last year’s holiday sales will pave the way for a restocking cycle of more desirable new releases, by continuing to whittle down the mountain of unsold shoes that were once on its books.

Last October, when Nike veteran Elliott Hill took the helm of the legacy sneaker brand, he had a mammoth task on his hands: not only keeping a lid on inventory — worth $8 billion at the latest count in Q2 FY25 — an issue that’s been plaguing the brand since 2022, when dwindling consumer demand for legacy designs like Jordans and Dunks flagged behind production… but also rebalancing the company’s direct-to-consumer push.

Just sell it

Back in 2017, Nike announced that it would be slashing a significant number of its retail partners to double down on its DTC offerings, which gave the brand higher profit margin than wholesalers, as well as better control over distribution. For a spell, the plan worked. DTC revenues more than doubled in the next five years, amounting to ~$19 billion in fiscal year 2022 (42% of total sales). Now, though, Nike’s direct sales have flatlined, and the company is hoping purchases made through retailers like Foot Locker and Dick’s Sporting Goods can pick up some of the slack.

Nike failed to account for wholesale’s edge over DTC: pocket-squeezed shoppers love nothing more than a good deal, more often found away from Nike.com. With other running shoes like Hoka also catching up after a pandemic boost, the latest quarterly earnings call saw Hill outline the need for “unwavering commitment” to wholesale partners and providing a “more premium NIKE Direct” service — on top of chipping away at the inventory pile in order to deliver that all-important “newness in product.” This week, at least, investors are buying that story.

Tom Jones6/24/26

Prime Day is here again and Amazon’s subscription service has never been more popular

Well, it’s that time of year again: many have made their wish lists, people are scraping together the money they’ve saved to pick out a perfect gift, some are presumably leaving out refreshments for the weary delivery drivers and, more and more, drones.

It’s Amazon Prime Day — meaning that it’s the second day of the four-day promotional event that Amazon still calls Prime Day — of course, and it’s even come early this year, with the company bringing the period into late June from July, when it’s been traditionally held for the last five years.

The Prime Age

Alongside the eyes and endless clicks that the arbitrary stream of listicles on “The Best Prime Day Deals” that almost every media outlet pours into, Amazon will also be cheering the fact that there’s now more Prime users than ever before to devour the retailer and its sellers’ sometimes-contested “discounts.” Indeed, according to the latest annual estimates from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), there were just over 200 million American shoppers using Amazon’s massive subscription service at the end of 2025.

Max Knoblauch6/15/26

Electronic Arts launches a platform to put more ads in its games

Video game publishing giant EA launched a new platform on Monday designed to make the process of selling immersive ad space in its popular games easier.

The company says the platform, called EA Advertising, allows brands to “integrate directly into gameplay through dynamic, real-time placements, from stadium signage to custom in-game content.”

More so than other studios, EA has incorporated advertising into its most popular titles. As Kotaku points out, the company’s ad efforts stretch as far back as 2006. Several of its sports franchises already feature partnerships with brands like Visa, Lowe’s, Red Bull, and PepsiCo.

In-game advertising hasn’t exactly been embraced by fans, but industry experts expect it to ramp up as companies seek more revenue to offset higher games budgets and surging memory costs. EA rival Take-Two has taken a different approach, with CEO Strauss Zelnick recently saying the company was “not at risk of doing brand partnerships” in the forthcoming “Grand Theft Auto VI,” and that ads in full-price games seems “unfair.”

The $55 billion deal to take EA private, led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, is set to close at the end of this month. Being the largest leveraged buyout in history, EA will likely look for more ways to boost revenue to cover interest payments.

Electronic Arts Makes Push for Ad Dollars Tied to Sports

Millie Giles6/11/26

JM Smucker says it sold $1 billion worth of Uncrustables in FY2026

After years of booming sandwich sales, JM Smucker has finally earned a billion-dollar crust.

On Tuesday, the company reported results for fiscal year 2026, highlighting better-than-expected profits driven by higher prices for coffee and sweet baked goods. However, at another point on the earnings call, CEO Mark Smucker pointed to one particularly jammy figure: in line with previous forecasts, the company sold $1 billion worth of its (almost always) crustless sandwiches, Uncrustables, in the last year alone.

Max Knoblauch6/8/26

Paramount reportedly offers concessions to resolve multistate antitrust investigation

Paramount has reportedly offered up some concessions in an effort to prevent an antitrust lawsuit by California and about 10 other states, according to Bloomberg reporting on Monday.

Reuters first reported on the potential suit from a group of unnamed states last week, which could throw a wrench in Paramount’s plans to buy rival Warner Bros. Discovery in a Hollywood megamerger.

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

Paramount Offers Concessions to Head Off State Antitrust Lawsuit

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

$98B ⛽

Max Knoblauch6/8/26

The IATA released its latest financial outlook for the airline industry over the weekend, forecasting a $98 billion jump in the sector’s collective fuel bill. The world’s largest trade group representing airlines expects the oil spike to halve profits by 49% from last year to $23 billion.

The group also expects profit margins to halve year over year, falling from 2025’s 4.2% to 2%. Still, revenue is expected to climb to $1.17 trillion from $1.07 trillion.

A surge in the cost of jet fuel has rocked US and global airlines this year, leading Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and others to raise fares and ancillary charges like bag fees. Low-cost carriers, which operate on smaller margins, have been squeezed the hardest, resulting in Spirit’s shutdown.

“It’s a tough year for all airlines, especially those whose balance sheets had not yet recovered from COVID. And, of course, for those operating in the Gulf,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh, who added that demand is holding up and about half of passengers expect to spend more on travel this year. “That bodes well for a strong northern summer peak season. The big unknown is how long travelers and shippers can tolerate the higher costs of connectivity.”