Gabelli Funds LLC Decreases Stake in Sony Corporation $SONY

Key Points

• Gabelli Funds LLC trimmed its Sony stake by 2.3% in the first quarter, selling 121,449 shares and ending with 5.2 million shares worth about $107.6 million.
• Insiders have been selling shares, including Tsuyoshi Kodera and Ravi Ahuja, and Sony insiders sold 771,838 shares worth $16.9 million over the last three months.
• Analysts are mixed on Sony: the stock currently carries an average "Hold" rating with a $22.00 target price, while recent company news has been a mix of positive content and product developments alongside some concerns about gaming strategy.

Gabelli Funds LLC lessened its stake in Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY - Free Report) by 2.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,197,641 shares of the company's stock after selling 121,449 shares during the quarter. Sony accounts for 0.7% of Gabelli Funds LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Gabelli Funds LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Sony worth $107,591,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. YANKCOM Partnership lifted its position in shares of Sony by 748.7% during the 4th quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 976 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 861 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sony during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sony in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sony by 404.1% in the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,109 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 889 shares during the period. Finally, Twin Tree Management LP increased its stake in Sony by 4,218.5% in the 4th quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 1,112 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,139 shares in the last quarter. 14.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Tsuyoshi Kodera sold 51,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.54, for a total value of $1,047,540.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 27,553 shares in the company, valued at $565,938.62. This represents a 64.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Ravi Ahuja sold 36,826 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.08, for a total value of $776,292.08. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 58,786 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,239,208.88. The trade was a 38.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 771,838 shares of company stock valued at $16,866,580. Insiders own 7.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Sony in a report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Sony in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $22.00.

More Sony News

Here are the key news stories impacting Sony this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sony Pictures reportedly secured or expanded distribution ties for new films including Ramayana and Los Hilos del Miedo, which could support future content revenue and reinforce Sony’s role in global film distribution. Ramayana Movie Lands at Sony
• Positive Sentiment: Sony is said to be reopening Hollywood’s Cinerama Dome and ArcLight Cinemas, a move that could boost theater operations and signal confidence in a rebound in moviegoing demand. Sony to reopen Hollywood’s Cinerama Dome and ArcLight Cinemas
• Positive Sentiment: Sony launched or highlighted a new FX5 cinema camera with 5K open-gate recording, internal RAW support, and AI features, reinforcing its premium imaging franchise and product pipeline. Sony's new cinema camera offers 5K recording, built-in AI processing
• Positive Sentiment: Sony’s new high-end “The Collexion” headphones are getting favorable attention, and cheaper XM5 pricing may help stimulate demand in consumer audio. Sony’s ‘The Collexion’ Headphones Set New Standard for Audio Engineering and Sound Design
• Neutral Sentiment: Several reports about Sony’s cinema camera FX5 emphasized technical upgrades, but they are more of a product refresh than a clear near-term earnings catalyst. Sony FX5 Launches With a New Sensor Open Gate Recording and Internal RAW Support
• Negative Sentiment: One report warned that Sony’s push to end physical discs could hurt the $7.2 billion used-games market, raising concerns about pushback from gamers and the broader gaming ecosystem. Sony's decision to end physical discs could destroy the $7.2 Billion second-hand games market, per analysis

Sony Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of Sony stock opened at $21.01 on Friday. Sony Corporation has a 1 year low of $19.32 and a 1 year high of $30.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $21.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.65. The company has a market capitalization of $124.15 billion, a P/E ratio of -105.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.94.

Sony (NYSE:SONY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $19.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.43 billion. Sony had a negative net margin of 2.61% and a positive return on equity of 12.20%. Sony's quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $32.86 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Sony Corporation will post 1.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sony 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.

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