NIKE (NKE - Free Nike Stock Report) shares have been strong performers over the past year, handily outpacing the broad Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. What’s more, there appear to be many more chapters to go in this iconic company’s growth story, which has already seen it go from a domestic footwear distributor to a nearly unrivaled international marketer of athletic footwear, apparel, and equipment. In fact, we expect share earnings to advance at a 15%-20% annual clip through late decade, as industry fundamentals remain favorable, the direct-to-consumer channel is more aggressively targeted, and inroads are made in emerging markets. With this outlook in mind, should investors build positions ahead of NIKE’s next growth spurt? Or has the stock market already discounted the company’s impressive prospects? In this article, we will attempt to address these questions by taking a brief look at NIKE’s business and performing an easy-to-follow SWOT analysis of the company, evaluating its Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.