Nike results top estimates even as China sales drop 12%; retailer expects $986 million tariff refund

In this article

• NKE

Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT

The iconic Nike swoosh design is displayed in a window of the athletic company's new store on Broadway in Manhattan on April 24, 2026 in New York City.

Spencer Platt | Getty Images

Nike on Tuesday posted quarterly earnings and revenue that topped Wall Street expectations, despite another sales decline in its key China market.

Here's what Nike reported for its fiscal fourth quarter compared with analysts expectations, according to consensus estimates from LSEG:

• **Earnings per share: **20 cents adjusted vs. 13 cents expected
• **Revenue: **$10.97 billion vs. $10.86 billion expected

Shares of Nike dropped as much as 8% in extended trading Tuesday before making up much of the losses.

The company said its gross margin increased 8.9% during the quarter, largely due to an expected tariff refund of nearly $986 million after the Supreme Court struck down many of President Donald Trump's global duties. The tariff refunds contributed 52 cents to Nike's earnings per share for the quarter.

Analysts excluded that gain from their adjusted earnings expectations.

Company executives said on a call with analysts that as of the end of the quarter, Nike had collected over $300 million of cash related to its tariff refund claims.

Nike posted net income of $1.07 billion, or 72 cents per share, compared with $211 million, or 14 cents per share, a year earlier.

Revenue climbed to $10.97 billion, down 1% from $11.10 billion in the prior-year period.

Nike's revenue in North America, its largest market, climbed 3% to $4.83 billion. It fell short of analysts' expectations of $4.88 billion, according to StreetAccount.

Sales in Nike's Greater China market dropped 12% to $1.30 billion. Even so, the company beat Wall Street's expectations of $1.24 billion in revenue.

On a call with analysts, CEO Elliott Hill said the company is "fully committed to winning" the China market back.

"Overall, the results aren't there yet," Hill said. "We know we're not living up to our full potential, particularly in Nike sportswear and Jordan streetwear, where sell through remains challenged, impacting both current discounting and future order books."

For the full fiscal 2026, Nike reported net income of $3.11 billion, or $2.10 per share, compared with $3.22 billion, or $2.16 per share, in the prior year.

As the company looks ahead, it reiterated the guidance provided last fiscal quarter, expecting earnings to be "flattish" through the first two quarters of fiscal 2027, according to Friend. Nike also expects gross margin for the first fiscal quarter of 2027 to be slightly positive.

The earnings come as Hill has been trying to reposition Nike for growth amid slumping sales. The company previously warned its turnaround would not be linear as certain parts of the business improve at different rates.

Hill previously said that the segments that Nike initially focused on turning around are beginning to see "momentum."

The turnaround effort is also placed against macroeconomic uncertainty, fueled by tariffs, the war in the Middle East, soaring gas prices and more. CFO Matt Friend said on the call with analysts that Nike's consumer is "under pressure around the world," having an outsized impact on sportswear, which saw sales decline by a double-digit percentage in the quarter.

In April, Nike instituted a sweeping round of layoffs, cutting 1,400 roles across the organization in its second workforce reduction of the year.

Last week, the company announced a planned CFO transition, with former Pfizer executive David Denton taking over for Friend effective Aug. 17.

Still, Nike has seen a boom from the World Cup, hosted across North America this summer. While it's not an official sponsor, the company saw its advertisements massively outpace sneaker rival Adidas and gain significant traction across social media.

"What feels different this time around is we're not treating the tournament as a single moment, we're using it to reshape our business, telling a connected story over time, engaging different communities in relevant ways and building momentum that carries well beyond the tournament," Hill said on the call with analysts.

Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.