ANALYST: Wall Street previews Nike Inc., have strong expectations due to dominant market share and brand appeal

Nike Inc.

will report earnings on Thursday March 19th. The consensus EPS is expected to be $0.84. Several Wall Street firms previewed Nike ahead of their F3Q15 earnings report. UBS: Rates Nike Inc. as a Buy with a 1 year price target of $107. "...our industry checks suggest surprisingly strong underlying NKE orders for CY16, and we believe NKE will be able to point to significantly accelerating futures post-World Cup—which we believe will be the primary driver for the stock in the NT. Catalysts that may drive the stock forward include, "global athletic growth, GM catalysts such as lower cotton and oil prices, flexible SG&A, and $3 billion net cash position that could be deployed strategically at any time." Morgan Stanley: Rates Nike Inc. as Overweight with a 1 year price target of $105. "Nike's powerful balance sheet is helping it create a virtuous circle of outsized investment spending, operational excellence, brand strength, and ROIC gains….Nike dominates the industry and we think it is in the early stages of major EPS growth rate acceleration." Credit Suisse: Rates Nike Inc. as Outperform with a 1 year price target of $99. "Heading into Nike's F3Q15, we have increased conviction in the company's ability to drive solid EPS growth into FY16 through: continued market share capture in the U.S.; strong demand trends in China; and benefits from Western Europe's restructuring initiatives and subsequent EBIT margin recapture." Stifel: Rates Nike Inc. as a Buy with a 1 year price target of $110. "Drivers behind the +low teens 3Q revenue growth expectations include: continued momentum in the Basketball category driven by Brand Jordan, Retro, and Marquee player styles, share gains in running, strength in technical apparel, particularly women's training, growth in Western Europe led by running and helped by improving channel dynamics, and gains in China in part helped by a shift in seasons…" Nike closed on Tuesday at $96.54.