Nike expected to post sales decline as it navigates tariffs, turnaround strategy

Core Insights - Nike is set to report its fiscal first quarter results, with expectations of a significant decline in adjusted earnings per share and revenue due to ongoing challenges and a turnaround strategy under new leadership [1] Financial Performance - Analysts predict adjusted earnings per share to be $0.28, a 60% decrease from the previous year [1] - Revenue is anticipated to fall by 4.9% to $11.02 billion [1] - Nike Direct revenue is expected to decline by 8.3% to $4.3 billion, while wholesale revenue is forecasted to drop approximately 8% to $6.28 billion [2] - The Nike brand's sales are projected to decrease by 5% to $10.55 billion, and Converse's revenue is expected to decline by about 9% to $456.1 million [3] Strategic Initiatives - The company is focusing on cleaning up inventory, increasing product newness, and strengthening relationships with wholesale partners, although stabilization may take several quarters [4] - CFO Matthew Friend highlighted the uncertainty in the operating environment and the company's outlook reflects the best assessment based on available data [5] Margin and Cost Projections - Gross margins are projected to fall between 350 and 425 basis points, with approximately 100 basis points of negative impact attributed to tariffs [6] - Wall Street expects gross margin to improve to 41.7% for the quarter, up from 40.3% in the previous quarter [6] - The company estimates an incremental cost increase of about $1 billion and plans to reduce reliance on Chinese manufacturing from 16% to the "high-single-digit range" by the end of the fiscal year [7]