Nike Profit Climbs 15% on Strong U.S. Demand

Nike Inc., the world’s largest athletic shoe company, said its fiscal second-quarter profit rose 15% on strong U.S. demand for its high-end athletic footwear, despite a slowing of growth in Europe and Japan.

But analysts said the growth in the company’s orders was weaker than expected, and the company’s shares fell $3.18, or 3.6%, to $85.30 in after-hours trading. Before the earnings were released, Nike rose $1.22 in regular trading to $88.48.

The shoe and apparel giant posted a profit of $301.1 million, or $1.14 a share, for the period ended Nov. 30, compared with $261.9 million, or 97 cents, a year earlier. Sales jumped 10% to $3.47 billion from $3.15 billion.