Sony (NYSE:SONY) Insider Tsuyoshi Kodera Sells 17,500 Shares

Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY) insider Tsuyoshi Kodera sold 17,500 shares of Sony stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.61, for a total value of $395,675.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 27,553 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $622,973.33. This represents a 38.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Sony Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of Sony stock traded up $0.26 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $22.97. 3,972,264 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,391,061. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $20.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $23.84. Sony Corporation has a twelve month low of $19.63 and a twelve month high of $30.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market cap of $136.62 billion, a P/E ratio of -114.82, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.92.

Sony (NYSE:SONY) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.13). Sony had a positive return on equity of 12.20% and a negative net margin of 2.61%.The company had revenue of $19.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $32.86 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Sony Corporation will post 1.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sony Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 30th will be issued a $0.0796 dividend. This represents a yield of 80.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 30th. Sony’s payout ratio is -55.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on SONY. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $22.00 target price (down from $30.00) on shares of Sony in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Sony in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Sony from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.00.

Key Stories Impacting Sony

Here are the key news stories impacting Sony this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sony announced a major entertainment expansion by buying the production company behind The Real Housewives and The Valley, which could strengthen its TV/content pipeline and support long-term growth. Sony buys ‘Real Housewives,’ ‘The Valley’ production company
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Sony as a strong value stock, which may help sentiment by reinforcing the company’s valuation appeal. Here’s Why Sony (SONY) is a Strong Value Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Sony also drew interest from product news, including leaks and previews around new Xperia phones and premium headphones, which can support consumer-electronics buzz. Sony’s premium ‘The ColleXion’ headphones just leaked from top to bottom
• Neutral Sentiment: Sony first-party single-player games may remain PlayStation-exclusive instead of coming to PC, a strategic choice that could help console differentiation but may limit software reach. Sony first-party singleplayer games to stay PlayStation console exclusive, no longer release on PC
• Negative Sentiment: Sony is facing backlash for raising PlayStation Plus and multiplayer access prices, a move that could pressure user growth and spark gamer dissatisfaction. Sony Is Raising The Price Of Playing Multiplayer Games Online On PlayStation 5
• Negative Sentiment: Sony is also being sued over alleged tariff-related windfalls, adding legal and margin-risk concerns for investors. Sony Is Being Sued For Allegedly Retaining ‘Substantial Windfall’ Generated By ‘Illegal’ Tariffs
• Negative Sentiment: Consumer reaction to Sony’s new Xperia AI camera has been poor, with online criticism suggesting weaker enthusiasm for one of its mobile products. Sony’s new Xperia AI camera is going viral for making photos look worse

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Sony by 9.1% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 16,992,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,746,000 after buying an additional 1,413,785 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its position in Sony by 10.1% in the 1st quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 11,005 shares of the company’s stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 1,013 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Sony by 71.3% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 28,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $596,000 after buying an additional 11,980 shares during the period. Evelyn Partners Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Sony during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Sony by 17.8% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 1,036,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,461,000 after purchasing an additional 156,464 shares during the period. 14.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Sony

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.