Mar Vista Investment Partners, LLC, an investment management company, released the “Mar Vista Focus strategy” second quarter 2024 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In the second quarter, the strategy returned +3.74% net of fees compared to +8.34% and +4.28% returns for The Russell 1000 Growth Index and the S&P 500 Index. The strategy’s performance was negatively impacted by the stock selection within the information technology, communication services, and consumer discretionary. Following a robust performance in the first six months, it appears that stocks are poised to enter the second half of the year with strong momentum. The picture is still favorable because of robust corporate profitability, decreasing inflation, and high enterprise spending. Kindly check the top 5 stocks of the strategy to know its best picks in 2024.
Mar Vista Focus strategy highlighted stocks like NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE), in the second quarter 2024 investor letter. NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) designs, develops, and markets athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessories. The one-month return of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) was 13.40%, and its shares lost 17.19% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On August 26, 2024, NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) stock closed at $84.28 per share with a market capitalization of $126.366 billion.
Mar Vista Focus strategy stated the following regarding NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“NIKE, Inc.’s (NYSE:NKE) stock declined following management’s revised forecast for fiscal year 2025, projecting negative mid-single-digit revenue growth instead of the previously anticipated positive growth. The company has observed a marked slowdown in lifestyle product sales since April, a trend that persisted into June. Our current projections indicate that both sales and earnings will fall 15-20% below the conservative estimates set by management just a quarter ago. This substantial downward revision in sales and earnings is attributed to insufficient product innovation, wholesale channel shift, and intentional reduction of supply in lifestyle franchises. While the negative adjustments to guidance could potentially act as a clearing event for the stock, the degree of conservatism in the new projections remains uncertain.
Nike maintains its position as the global leader in sportswear. However, its revenue growth has been hampered by a lack of innovation, and its recovery is further complicated by deteriorating macroeconomic conditions in the US and China. The company’s renewed focus on innovation and efforts to re-engage with wholesale channels may eventually help restore growth, but we believe increased skepticism regarding management’s ability to execute is justified.”
A team of trainers and athletes displaying a wide range of athletic and casual footwear.
NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) is not on our list of 31 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 66 hedge fund portfolios held NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) at the end of the second quarter which was 71 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is as promising as NVIDIA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
In another article, we discussed NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) and shared the list of stocks Jim Cramer is recommending investors to buy or sell. In the second quarter, ClearBridge Large Cap Growth Strategy sold its holdings in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) due to its overreliance on Jordan for revenue growth and lagging innovation. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q2 2024 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
