Oxbow Advisors LLC Acquires New Stake in Sony Corporation $SONY

Key Points

• Oxbow Advisors LLC opened a new position in Sony during the first quarter, buying 145,802 shares worth about $3.0 million.
• Institutional interest in Sony remains significant, with several large investors increasing stakes; overall, institutions own 14.05% of the company.
• Analysts are mixed on Sony: the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $22, while recent insider sales have totaled 468,500 shares over the past three months.

Oxbow Advisors LLC bought a new position in Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 145,802 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,018,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SONY. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sony by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 108,981,588 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,789,929,000 after purchasing an additional 4,337,062 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in shares of Sony by 23.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 7,446,889 shares of the company's stock worth $191,534,000 after buying an additional 1,397,271 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Sony by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 6,778,922 shares of the company's stock worth $173,539,000 after buying an additional 657,655 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in Sony by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 5,076,516 shares of the company's stock valued at $129,973,000 after buying an additional 74,768 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in Sony by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 3,411,634 shares of the company's stock valued at $87,342,000 after buying an additional 37,360 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 14.05% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $22.00 price target (down from $30.00) on shares of Sony in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Sony in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Sony in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $22.00.

Insider Activity at Sony

In other Sony news, insider Tsuyoshi Kodera sold 51,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.54, for a total transaction of $1,047,540.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 27,553 shares of the company's stock, valued at $565,938.62. The trade was a 64.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Kenichiro Yoshida sold 400,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.61, for a total value of $9,044,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 661,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,959,115.15. This represents a 37.68% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 468,500 shares of company stock valued at $10,487,215 over the last three months. Insiders own 7.00% of the company's stock.

Sony News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Sony this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sony’s shift away from physical PlayStation discs could improve margins over time by reducing manufacturing, packaging, and logistics costs, and it signals a more digital-focused business model for future console generations. Sony is first console giant to stop making physical games
• Positive Sentiment: One report noted Sony’s stock climbed after the all-digital announcement, suggesting investors may be focusing on the long-term financial benefits of the transition rather than the fan backlash. Sony Stock Climbs After PlayStation’s All-Digital Announcement Despite Fan Backlash
• Neutral Sentiment: Former Sony leadership comments that PlayStation’s disc-less strategy could influence Xbox and Nintendo reinforce the idea that Sony is setting an industry trend, but this is more of a strategic headline than an immediate earnings catalyst. PlayStation's disc-less future could heavily influence Xbox and Nintendo, former Sony boss says
• Negative Sentiment: The move has triggered strong backlash from gamers and media coverage portraying Sony as abandoning physical ownership, which could create reputational noise and pressure around the PlayStation brand in the near term. Brands smell blood in the water after PlayStation axes game discs — and they're roasting Sony for it

Sony Trading Down 0.0%

Sony stock opened at $20.79 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $122.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -103.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $21.09 and a 200-day moving average of $22.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.94. Sony Corporation has a one year low of $19.32 and a one year high of $30.34.

Sony (NYSE:SONY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.13). Sony had a negative net margin of 2.61% and a positive return on equity of 12.20%. The company had revenue of $19.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $32.86 EPS. Sony's revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Sony Corporation will post 1.28 earnings per share 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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