Nike’s stock and product moves
Bloomberg reports Wall Street is increasingly sceptical of Nike’s turnaround as the stock slid to its lowest level since 2014. (bloomberg.com) At the same time Nike is reviving the LDV, a 1978 running shoe, as part of a product push tied to outdoor and ACG-themed merchandising. (t3.com)
Nike is trying to sell Wall Street on a turnaround while reaching back into its archive for a 1978 shoe revival. (bloomberg.com) Bloomberg reported on April 17 that Nike shares had fallen to their lowest level since 2014 as analysts questioned how quickly Chief Executive Officer Elliott Hill can revive growth. The stock slide followed Nike’s March 31 earnings update and a weaker-than-expected outlook for the rest of calendar 2026. (bloomberg.com 1) (bloomberg.com 2) Nike said on March 31 that fiscal third-quarter revenue was $11.3 billion, flat as reported, with wholesale up 5% to $6.5 billion and Nike Direct down 4% to $4.5 billion. Gross margin fell 130 basis points to 40.2%, and the company said its “Win Now” actions would keep affecting results through the rest of the calendar year. (investors.nike.com) Management told investors revenue would drop 2% to 4% in the current quarter and stay down in the low single digits for the rest of calendar 2026, according to Bloomberg. That forecast undercut analyst expectations for a return to growth after Nike posted full-year fiscal 2025 revenue of $46.3 billion, down 10% from the prior year. (bloomberg.com) (investors.nike.com) Hill, a longtime Nike executive who returned as chief executive in 2024, has been shifting Nike back toward sport categories and wholesale partners after years of heavier emphasis on direct sales and lifestyle franchises. Nike’s recent results show that split: wholesale has grown in fiscal 2026, while digital and company-owned retail have kept shrinking. (investors.nike.com 1) (investors.nike.com 2) (investors.nike.com 3) At the same time, Nike is using product nostalgia to support that reset. Nike’s SNKRS app shows the ACG LDV “Brilliant Blue and Turf Orange” priced at $130 with a U.S. release set for April 23 at 2 p.m. Eastern. (nike.com) Nike describes the LDV as a long-distance running shoe that was later upgraded for trail use and repositioned under ACG, short for All Conditions Gear. T3 reported the relaunch is part of a broader outdoor and ACG merchandising push that leans on Nike’s heritage models. (nike.com) (t3.com) Nike has been building that ACG story in its own marketing. A February article on Nike’s site tied the LDV to a 1978 K2 basecamp expedition photo featuring climbers Rick Ridgeway and John Roskelley, framing the shoe as part of the origin story for the ACG line. (about.nike.com) (nike.com) The tension for Nike is that archive drops can refresh brand heat faster than they repair a $50 billion-scale business. Investors are still waiting for the sales rebound Hill has promised, while Nike is betting that more sport-led assortments, more wholesale support and heritage product like the LDV can buy time. (bloomberg.com) (investors.nike.com)
