Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY) Stock Now Rated “Moderate Buy” by Wall Street Analysts
by Amy Steele · The Cerbat GemShares of Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY – Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation, four have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $22.00.
A number of research analysts have commented on SONY shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Sony in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Sony in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Wall Street Zen lowered Sony from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 9th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Sony from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on SONY
Sony Price Performance
Sony stock opened at $22.98 on Friday. Sony has a 52-week low of $19.32 and a 52-week high of $30.34. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $23.35 and a 200-day moving average of $21.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $135.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.51, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.
Sony (NYSE:SONY – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Saturday, August 1st. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.08. Sony had a negative net margin of 2.00% and a positive return on equity of 13.06%. The business had revenue of $17.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $42.84 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Sony will post 1.41 EPS for the current year.
Insider Buying and Selling at Sony
In related news, insider Robert Adrian Stringer sold 545,547 shares of Sony stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.49, for a total transaction of $12,269,352.03. Following the sale, the insider owned 100,547 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,261,302.03. The trade was a 84.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Ravi Ahuja sold 36,826 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.08, for a total transaction of $776,292.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 58,786 shares in the company, valued at $1,239,208.88. This represents a 38.52% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 901,565 shares of company stock valued at $19,867,651. 7.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Institutional Trading of Sony
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Sony by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 108,981,588 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,789,929,000 after purchasing an additional 4,337,062 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of Sony in the 1st quarter worth about $39,998,000. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sony during the 4th quarter valued at about $47,989,000. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Sony by 337.6% during the 1st quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 1,949,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,836,000 after buying an additional 1,504,035 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Sony by 9.1% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 16,992,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,746,000 after acquiring an additional 1,413,785 shares during the last quarter. 14.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
More Sony News
Here are the key news stories impacting Sony this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Sony Music Latin partnered with Luis R. Conríquez’s K Music, expanding its position in the growing Música Mexicana market and potentially supporting future music-streaming and licensing revenue. Sony Music Latin Partners With Luis R. Conríquez’s K Music
- Positive Sentiment: Sony Pictures acquired the TIFF action thriller The Surgeon starring Michelle Yeoh, adding a high-profile title to its film pipeline. Its impact is positive but dependent on eventual theatrical and streaming performance. Sony Scoops Up The Surgeon
- Positive Sentiment: A PS5 software update enables automatic graphics enhancement on PS5 Pro, improving the platform’s user experience and potentially supporting continued console engagement. Sony Rolls Out PS5 Update
- Neutral Sentiment: Reports say Sony, A24, and The New York Times may be interested in acquiring Letterboxd. The potential deal could broaden Sony’s film-discovery and audience data capabilities, but no transaction has been confirmed. Market Chatter: Letterboxd Draws Interest
- Neutral Sentiment: Sony Music joined the ARIAM responsible-AI coalition, while Sony is exploring AI-assisted software fixes for PlayStation devices. These moves may improve innovation and policy positioning but have no clear immediate earnings effect. Sony Music Joins ARIAM
- Negative Sentiment: Reports that Sony surveyed developers about potentially ending physical PS5 game discs—and may now be reconsidering the plan—highlight uncertainty around its digital transition. A reversal could preserve retail demand, but the conflicting reports suggest strategy remains unsettled. Sony Reportedly Surveyed Developers on Physical Discs
- Negative Sentiment: The Sony FX5 camera has reportedly been delayed until at least late October, potentially postponing hardware revenue and frustrating customers, although the financial effect should be limited. Sony FX5 Delay
- Negative Sentiment: Reports surrounding the cancellation of PHYSINT add to concerns about PlayStation’s recent development setbacks, following the troubled reception of projects such as Concord. Sony PHYSINT Cancellation Reports
About Sony
Sony Group Corporation is a Japan-based global entertainment and technology company headquartered in Tokyo. Founded in 1946 as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo, the company adopted the Sony name in 1958 and has developed a diversified portfolio spanning consumer electronics, interactive entertainment, music, film and television, and imaging technology.
Sony’s Game & Network Services business operates the PlayStation platform and provides hardware, software, digital content and network services.
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