The real question isn't "is Nike cool." It's: could Nike take a punch?
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✦ The bottom line
Nike has plenty of cash. But the cash spigot is narrowing.
↓ the brief below
✦ Teach me
What they own vs. what they owe
Every three months, every public company publishes a snapshot: what they own (cash, buildings, products on shelves) and what they owe (debt). The financial check-up.
Wall Street calls this
Balance sheet
Tells you whether the company is *built to last* — beyond just "how much did they make."
Nike right now · what they own vs. owe
Cash + reserves
$8.1B
Debt due soon
$1.0B
Long-term debt
$7.0B
More cushion than near-term debt. Nike isn't fragile. A bad year would hurt — it wouldn't be fatal.
All the cash a company has left after running everything. Money they can save, hand back to owners, or use to grow.
Beats "profit" — profit is partly an accounting opinion, this is a fact.
Wall Street calls this
Free cash flow
If you learn one Wall Street number, learn this one. Cash either showed up or it didn't.
Real cash left over · last 9 months
$0.7
B
Down from $2.9B a year earlier. Nike also slashed share 95% — a quieter warning.