(By Street Authority) This company makes some of the most well-known products in the world. It's slogan -- "Just do it" -- has become a mantra for a generation of young athletes...
I've personally owned this company in the "real-money" portfolio for my Stock of the Month advisory for half a year now. Since I bought it last November, I'm already up 16% on my original investment...
But I think this stock still has plenty of upside left... and thanks to a couple special catalysts this stock has going for it, I think now is a good time revisit this retail giant.
The stock I'm talking about is Nike (NYSE: NKE), the popular U.S. retailer. Not only are Nike's products some of the most recognizable on the planet, I think Nike stock could also be one of this summer's biggest winners.
Here's why...
First off, when it comes to athletic apparel, Nike is the market leader. Whether your sport is basketball, soccer, running, tennis, wrestling, or cheerleading -- Nike is known for its ability to provide high performance specialty footwear and apparel.
As a stock, Nike also delivers high performance. In the past five years, Nike has delivered an annual total return of 17.5%, compared with a paltry average annual return of 1.0% in the S&P 500 Index.
More recently, the company has performed well financially. On April 6, Nike reported the results from its third quarter of fiscal 2012 (ended Feb. 28, 2012). The company grew revenue by 15% and net income by 7% from the equivalent period a year ago.
Much of Nike's growth in the past few years has been supported by sales growth abroad.
Yes, U.S. consumers still love to spend money on sporting goods -- Nike's U.S. sales are up 17% -- but other countries are also growing hungry for Nike's products.