Sony (NYSE:SONY) Insider Tsuyoshi Kodera Sells 17,100 Shares of Stock

Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY) insider Tsuyoshi Kodera sold 17,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.72, for a total value of $388,512.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 47,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,079,381.76. This trade represents a 26.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Tsuyoshi Kodera also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, June 17th, Tsuyoshi Kodera sold 51,000 shares of Sony stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.54, for a total transaction of $1,047,540.00.
• On Monday, May 18th, Tsuyoshi Kodera sold 17,500 shares of Sony stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.61, for a total transaction of $395,675.00.

Sony Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE:SONY traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $22.50. The stock had a trading volume of 1,325,133 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,163,545. Sony Corporation has a one year low of $19.32 and a one year high of $30.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.25. The company has a market cap of $132.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.92. The business’s 50 day moving average is $21.19 and its 200-day moving average is $21.51.

Sony (NYSE:SONY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, August 1st. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $17.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.17 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $42.84 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Sony Corporation will post 1.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sony News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Sony this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street analysts’ average price target implies approximately 29.8% potential upside. Positive earnings-estimate revisions are also supporting the investment case, although price targets are not a guarantee of future performance. Wall Street analysts’ Sony price-target outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary describes Sony as a strong value stock, potentially attracting investors seeking a combination of valuation support, growth and improving momentum. Why Sony is viewed as a value stock
• Positive Sentiment: Sony’s planned sensor venture with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing could improve imaging technology, manufacturing scale and long-term competitiveness, adding a possible growth catalyst beyond its consumer-electronics businesses. Sony and TSMC sensor venture
• Neutral Sentiment: New products, including a lower-priced FE 100-400mm camera lens, a 720Hz gaming monitor and updated headphones, reinforce Sony’s product pipeline but are unlikely by themselves to materially change near-term earnings. Sony camera lens launch
• Negative Sentiment: The sensor initiative carries earthquake exposure and significant setup costs, while weakness in the smartphone market could limit returns. These risks may temper enthusiasm over the venture’s longer-term potential. Risks to Sony’s sensor venture
• Negative Sentiment: Sony’s acknowledgment that its Spider-Man spin-off strategy failed to satisfy audiences raises concerns about entertainment execution and the reliability of franchise-driven revenue, though the impact on consolidated results is uncertain. Sony’s Spider-Man spin-off strategy

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Sony in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Sony from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Sony in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sony

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SONY. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Sony by 337.6% in the 1st quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 1,949,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,836,000 after purchasing an additional 1,504,035 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sony in the 1st quarter valued at about $23,933,000. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sony by 422.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $421,000 after purchasing an additional 16,094 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Sony in the first quarter valued at about $39,998,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sony by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 973,178 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,913,000 after purchasing an additional 212,971 shares in the last quarter. 14.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sony Company Profile

Sony Group Corporation (NYSE: SONY) is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. Founded in 1946 by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita, Sony has grown from an electronics maker into a diversified global company with operations spanning consumer electronics, entertainment, gaming, semiconductors and financial services. The company’s shares trade in Japan and its American Depositary Receipts trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SONY.

Sony’s primary businesses include Electronics Products & Solutions, which covers televisions, audio equipment, digital cameras and professional broadcast systems; Game & Network Services, anchored by the PlayStation platform, consoles, software and online services; Music and Pictures, through Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment, producing, distributing and licensing recorded music, film and television content; Imaging & Sensing Solutions, which develops CMOS image sensors and other semiconductor components; and Financial Services, offering life insurance, banking and other financial products in Japan.