Highland Capital Management LLC Sells 93,375 Shares of Sony Corporation $SONY

Key Points

• Highland Capital sold 93,375 shares of Sony in Q4, cutting its stake by 49.5% to 95,300 shares worth about $2.44 million.
• Analyst sentiment has cooled to an average “Hold” rating with a $22 average price target after downgrades and lower targets from Zacks, Sanford C. Bernstein and Weiss Ratings.
• Sony shares traded near $20.13 (up 2.5%) with a market cap of roughly $119.7 billion, and near-term sentiment may be shaped by premium headphone product momentum and a ~$7.85 million PlayStation Store settlement.

Highland Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY - Free Report) by 49.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 95,300 shares of the company's stock after selling 93,375 shares during the quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC's holdings in Sony were worth $2,440,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of SONY. YANKCOM Partnership raised its holdings in shares of Sony by 748.7% in the 4th quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 976 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 861 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sony in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sony by 304.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 1,010 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 760 shares during the period. Binnacle Investments Inc raised its holdings in shares of Sony by 81.7% in the 3rd quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 1,032 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares during the period. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sony in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 14.05% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on SONY shares. Zacks Research cut shares of Sony from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $22.00 target price (down from $30.00) on shares of Sony in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Sony from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $22.00.

Sony Stock Up 2.5%

SONY opened at $20.13 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $21.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.73 billion, a P/E ratio of -100.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.55 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Sony Corporation has a one year low of $19.63 and a one year high of $30.34.

Key Sony News

Here are the key news stories impacting Sony this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — Several Wall Street analysts and coverage pieces are framing SONY as a buy/hold candidate, reinforcing investor confidence in the company’s diversified media, gaming and hardware mix. Wall Street Analysts Think Sony (SONY) Is a Good Investment: Is It?
• Positive Sentiment: Product momentum — Multiple leaks and early sightings of high-end WH-1000XX / 1000X “Collexion” headphones (including celebrity reveals and photos) point to a premium launch that could boost hardware revenue and ASPs in the audio segment. Product excitement often supports short-term sentiment for consumer-electronics names. Sony WH-1000XX headphones spotted in the wild ahead of its official launch
• Neutral Sentiment: Tech showcase — Sony demonstrated advanced robotics (an autonomous table-tennis robot), highlighting R&D and AI/robotics capabilities that support the company’s tech positioning but have limited immediate revenue impact. Watch: Sony's insane autonomous robot shows off 'superhuman' skills
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive noise in audio — Big discounts on rival Bose QuietComfort units were reported, underlining competitive pricing pressure in consumer headphones; this could temper margins if Sony pursues aggressive promotion, but current reports focus on competitors’ sales rather than Sony lowering prices. Forget Sony, Bose QuietComfort Headphones Are 45% Off
• Negative Sentiment: Legal settlement — Sony Interactive Entertainment will pay roughly $7.85 million to settle a PlayStation Store class-action over alleged inflated prices; eligible users may receive refunds or PSN credits. The amount is small relative to Sony’s market cap but is a reputational and cash outflow item for the PlayStation segment. Sony to Pay $7.85M in PlayStation Store Settlement. What to Know

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.

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