Apple CEO Tim Cook, a long-time member of Nike’s board since 2005 and its lead independent director, purchased 50,000 shares of Nike stock on December 22, 2025, at an average price of $58.97 per share. The transaction, valued at approximately $2.95 million, nearly doubled his personal stake to about 105,000 shares, worth roughly $6 million at recent levels. This marks one of the largest open-market purchases by a Nike director or executive in over a decade. The move came shortly after Nike reported weaker quarterly margins and sluggish sales in China on December 18, which had caused the stock to slump nearly 13% in the following days.
Stock Rebounds Amid Challenges Following the disclosure of Cook’s purchase via a regulatory filing, Nike shares (NKE) closed 4.6% higher on December 23 at $60, making it one of the top performers on the S&P 500 that day. Analysts interpreted the buy as a strong endorsement of new CEO Elliott Hill’s “Win Now” turnaround strategy, which includes fresh marketing, innovation in running and sports categories, phasing out underperforming lifestyle brands, and improving relationships with wholesalers. Another board member, former Intel CEO Robert Swan, also bought around 8,700 shares for about $500,000 this week. Despite ongoing headwinds like excess inventory, competition from newer brands, and market share losses, Cook’s action—viewed as a “modest positive” by some investors—provided a lift to sentiment as Nike aims to stabilize amid its fourth consecutive year of potential stock declines.