Imagine that Economical Aviaries (ticker: CHEEP) rakes in $100 million in sales, and after subtracting expenses, keeps $20 million as its operating profit. The U.S. corporate tax rate is 35 percent, though many companies shield much of their income, with some of them paying an effective rate in the single digits - or lower! NKE stock has averaged annual gains of 18 percent over the past 20 years, and despite its market value topping $65 billion, it's not done growing. Nike's last quarter featured revenue up 13 percent over year-ago levels and earnings per share up 4 percent, both exceeding analyst expectations. On the plus side, orders surged by 12 percent to $10.9 billion, and Nike has been boosting its international marketing efforts. Nike should also benefit from a five-year, $1.1 billion deal with the NFL to supply gear, and from growth in yoga apparel and wearable technologies such as its FuelBand. The Motley Fool c/o Houston Chronicle P.O.