NKE
NIKE, Inc.
NKE offers stronger valuation, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
ROST
Ross Stores, Inc.
ROST has the edge over NKE overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger modeled upside.
NKE Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Stable | |
| Strong |
NKE's profitability and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its revenue and cash flow are stable.
ROST Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
ROST's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
NKE PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | 18x | $37.76 | — |
| Cheap | 23x | $47.70 | +26% |
| Forward | 30x | $37.76 | — |
| Fair | 33x | $68.16 | +80% |
| Expensive | 47x | $97.86 | +159% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
NKE has the edge over ROST in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
ROST PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 22x | $178 | -25% |
| Fair | 25x | $210 | -12% |
| Forward | 27x | $237 | — |
| Current | 29x | $237 | — |
| Expensive | 35x | $286 | +21% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
ROST's PE is in its expensive range at 29x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 27x next year's earnings, in its fair range.
NKE Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly deteriorating | |
| Stable | |
| Decline | |
| Improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Low |
Analysts expect NKE's profitability to improve, but its revenue to decline. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
ROST Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
ROST has the edge over NKE on the outlook, with more favorable valuation and earnings expectations.
NKE Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $1.27 | -39% |
| Q3 2026 | $2.09 | +7.2% |
| Q2 2026 | $2.10 | -2.8% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.51 | -50% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.70 | -48% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.95 | -44% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.16 | -42% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.01 | -11% |
| Q4 2024 | $3.24 | -5.3% |
NKE's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $2.09 over the past year, against $3.82 in late 2021.
ROST Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $8.78 | +6.3% |
| Q3 2026 | $8.26 | +31% |
| Q2 2026 | $7.16 | +13% |
| Q1 2026 | $6.61 | +4.6% |
| Q4 2025 | $6.40 | +0.8% |
| Q3 2025 | $6.30 | +1.6% |
| Q2 2025 | $6.33 | +6.7% |
| Q1 2025 | $6.32 | +14% |
| Q4 2024 | $6.35 | +26% |
ROST has the edge over NKE on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
NKE Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $11.2B | -4.3% |
| Q2 2026 | $11B | -1.1% |
| Q1 2026 | $11.3B | +0.1% |
| Q4 2025 | $12.4B | +0.6% |
| Q3 2025 | $11.7B | +1.1% |
| Q2 2025 | $11.1B | -12% |
| Q1 2025 | $11.3B | -9.3% |
| Q4 2024 | $12.4B | -7.7% |
NKE's revenue fell from its 2023 peak and has held roughly level since: $11.2B last quarter, down 4.3% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 8.2% | +0.3 points |
| Q2 2026 | 12% | +9.2 points |
| Q1 2026 | 5.8% | -1.7 points |
| Q4 2025 | 8% | -3.4 points |
| Q3 2025 | 7.9% | -3.4 points |
| Q2 2025 | 2.9% | -11 points |
| Q1 2025 | 7.5% | -3.8 points |
| Q4 2024 | 11% | -2.9 points |
NKE's operating margin was 8.2% last quarter, about level with the same quarter a year ago.
ROST Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $6.3B | +13% |
| Q2 2026 | $6B | +21% |
| Q1 2026 | $6.6B | +12% |
| Q4 2025 | $5.6B | +10% |
| Q3 2025 | $5.5B | +4.6% |
| Q2 2025 | $5B | +2.6% |
| Q1 2025 | $5.9B | -1.8% |
| Q4 2024 | $5.1B | +3% |
ROST has the edge over NKE on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 18% | +6.1 points |
| Q2 2026 | 13% | +1.2 points |
| Q1 2026 | 12% | -0.8 points |
| Q4 2025 | 12% | -1.2 points |
| Q3 2025 | 12% | -1.8 points |
| Q2 2025 | 12% | -0.9 points |
| Q1 2025 | 13% | -0.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 13% | +0.7 points |
ROST has the edge over NKE on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
NKE Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$64M | -527% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.5B | +313% |
| Q1 2026 | $284M | -83% |
| Q4 2025 | $386M | -58% |
| Q3 2025 | $15M | -95% |
| Q2 2025 | $363M | -85% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.7B | -11% |
| Q4 2024 | $920M | -65% |
NKE usually generates cash, though not every quarter: the latest was −$64M, but it generated $2.1B over the past year.
ROST Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $624.5M | +34% |
| Q2 2026 | $627.1M | +210% |
| Q1 2026 | $920.8M | +36% |
| Q4 2025 | $617.8M | +86% |
| Q3 2025 | $466.6M | +18% |
| Q2 2025 | $202.3M | -13% |
| Q1 2025 | $676.6M | -6.9% |
| Q4 2024 | $333M | +22% |
ROST has the edge over NKE on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
NKE Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.2% | +3.2M shares |
| 1 year | +0.4% | +5.2M shares |
| 3 years | -3.8% | -59.1M shares |
| 5 years | -8.4% | -135M shares |
| Available history | -6.9% | -110M shares |
NKE has 1.5B diluted shares, about the same as a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | — |
| Q2 2026 | — |
| Q1 2026 | — |
| Q4 2025 | $20M |
| Q3 2025 | $126M |
| Q2 2025 | $199M |
| Q1 2025 | $506M |
| Q4 2024 | $1.1B |
NKE has spent almost nothing on buybacks in the past year.
ROST Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.6% | -1.8M shares |
| 1 year | -1.6% | -5.3M shares |
| 3 years | -5.5% | -18.5M shares |
| 5 years | -10% | -35.5M shares |
| Available history | -11% | -39.8M shares |
ROST has the edge over NKE on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $318.8M |
| Q2 2026 | $318.8M |
| Q1 2026 | $262.5M |
| Q4 2025 | $262.5M |
| Q3 2025 | $262.5M |
| Q2 2025 | $262.5M |
| Q1 2025 | $262.5M |
| Q4 2024 | $262.5M |
ROST spent $1.2B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 11% from the year before.
NKE Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.2x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 0.2x | Very low |
| Q3 2024 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q2 2024 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2024 | -0.0x | Very low |
| Q4 2023 | 0.1x | Very low |
NKE's net debt is less than a year of its operating earnings (EBITDA).
ROST Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.9x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -1.0x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -0.7x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.7x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -0.7x | Net Cash |
ROST has the edge over NKE on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
NKE Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 40.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 57.5 | Neutral |
NKE's weekly RSI is 40 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 58 (neutral).
ROST Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 55.7 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 33.0 | Neutral |
ROST's weekly RSI is 56 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 33 (neutral).
NKE PE vs Consumer Cyclical Sector
| Metric | NKE | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 18x | 18x | 0.3% above |
| PE % | 2 | 47 | 45 pts below |
NKE has the edge over ROST on valuation relative to its sector.
ROST PE vs Consumer Cyclical Sector
| Metric | ROST | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 29x | 18x | 59% above |
| PE % | 68 | 47 | 21 pts above |
ROST is trading at 29x earnings, a 59% premium to the Consumer Cyclical sector's median of 18x.
NKE Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $36.7 | 2.8% above |
| 20 week MA | $39.2 | 3.6% below |
| 50 week MA | $48.0 | 21% below |
| 100 week MA | $58.4 | 35% below |
| 200 week MA | $79.2 | 52% below |
NKE has bounced recently, but its long-term trend is still down: it's above its 8-week average, but 52% below its 200-week average.
ROST Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $231.2 | 2.6% above |
| 20 week MA | $233.3 | 1.7% above |
| 50 week MA | $218.3 | 8.7% above |
| 100 week MA | $181.3 | 31% above |
| 200 week MA | $155.3 | 53% above |
ROST has the edge over NKE on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
NKE Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $101.6 | $141.6 | +39% |
| 2021 | $141.6 | $165.7 | +17% |
| 2022 | $165.7 | $116.3 | -30% |
| 2023 | $116.3 | $108.6 | -6.6% |
| 2024 | $108.6 | $76.4 | -30% |
| 2025 | $76.4 | $60.9 | -20% |
| 2026 YTD | $60.9 | $37.8 | -38% |
NKE has finished four years in a row lower, and it's down 38% so far in 2026.
ROST Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $115.0 | $118.0 | +2.7% |
| 2021 | $118.0 | $110.2 | -6.7% |
| 2022 | $110.2 | $115.5 | +4.8% |
| 2023 | $115.5 | $138.4 | +20% |
| 2024 | $138.4 | $153.0 | +11% |
| 2025 | $153.0 | $181.1 | +18% |
| 2026 YTD | $181.1 | $237.2 | +31% |
ROST has the edge over NKE on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.