Nike's latest earnings blew past Wall Street expectations, despite excess inventory taking a bite out of profits and disappointing sales in China.
The sneaker giant's inventories were up 16 percent compared to a year ago. The glut required the company to heavily mark down its products and lose out on profits.
On the positive side, Nike touted the success of its direct-to-consumer strategy.
“NIKE’s strong results in the third quarter offer continued proof of the success of our Consumer Direct Acceleration strategy,” said CEO John Donahoe in a press release.
The strategy launched in 2020 involves investing more in e-commerce technology and creating more opportunities for direct-to-consumer sales rather than through retailers.
“Fueled by compelling product innovation, deep relationships with consumers and a digital advantage that fuels brand momentum, our proven playbook allows us to navigate volatility as we create value and drive long-term growth," Donahoe said.
Gross margins were nonetheless down 43.3 percent for the quarter, even as the company exceeded expectations on earnings per share and revenue. Revenues were up 14 percent in the quarter.
“NIKE’s brand distinction and strong execution continue to create separation in the marketplace," said Chief Financial Officer Matthew Friend. "We have made tremendous progress on inventory as we position NIKE for sustainable and more profitable growth."
Joe Cecela, Dream Exchange CEO, explains how they are aiming to form the first minority-controlled company to operate an exchange in U.S. history. Watch!
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
At 100 years old, the Goodyear Blimp is an ageless star in the sky. The 246-foot-long airship will be in the background of the Daytona 500 — flying roughly 1,500 feet above Daytona International Speedway, actually — to celebrate its greatest anniversary tour. Even though remote camera technologies are improving regularly and changing the landscape of aerial footage, the blimp continues to carve out a niche. At Daytona, with the usual 40-car field racing around a 2½-mile superspeedway, views from the blimp aptly provide the scope of the event.
You'll just have to wait for interest rates (and prices) to go down. Plus, this deal's a steel, the big carmaker wedding is off, and bribery is back, baby!
