Royal Bank of Canada Sells 207,188 Shares of Sony Corporation $SONY

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada reduced its Sony position by 3.1%, selling 207,188 shares and retaining 6.57 million shares worth approximately $136 million. Institutional investors collectively own 14.05% of Sony.
• Sony insiders have been selling shares, including CEO Hiroki Totoki’s sale of 225,000 shares and another insider’s sale of 51,000 shares. Insiders sold 771,838 shares worth about $16.9 million over the past three months.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $22. Sony’s latest quarterly EPS of $0.09 missed estimates, although revenue rose 8.3% year over year and exceeded forecasts.

Royal Bank of Canada lowered its position in Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,571,734 shares of the company's stock after selling 207,188 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada owned about 0.11% of Sony worth $136,035,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SONY. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Sony by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 108,981,588 shares of the company's stock worth $2,789,929,000 after purchasing an additional 4,337,062 shares during the period. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of Sony by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 7,446,889 shares of the company's stock worth $191,534,000 after purchasing an additional 1,397,271 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Sony by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 5,076,516 shares of the company's stock worth $129,973,000 after purchasing an additional 74,768 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Sony by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 3,411,634 shares of the company's stock valued at $87,342,000 after purchasing an additional 37,360 shares during the period. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in shares of Sony by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 3,096,937 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,282,000 after purchasing an additional 95,143 shares during the period. 14.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sony news, CEO Hiroki Totoki sold 225,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.02, for a total value of $4,729,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 173,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,641,715. This trade represents a 56.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Tsuyoshi Kodera sold 51,000 shares of Sony stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.54, for a total value of $1,047,540.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 27,553 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $565,938.62. This trade represents a 64.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 771,838 shares of company stock worth $16,866,580. 7.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Sony Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of NYSE SONY opened at $22.81 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The company has a market cap of $134.77 billion, a P/E ratio of -114.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.94. Sony Corporation has a 52 week low of $19.32 and a 52 week high of $30.34. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $21.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.55.

Sony (NYSE:SONY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 negative net margin of 2.61% and a positive return on equity of 12.20%. The company had revenue of $19.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $32.86 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Sony Corporation will post 1.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting Sony

Here are the key news stories impacting Sony this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sony has proposed acquiring Japanese camera-lens maker Tamron, which could strengthen its imaging ecosystem, expand lens capabilities and create distribution or technology synergies. Tamron has formed a special committee to evaluate the proposal, though the transaction remains subject to review and other conditions. Sony makes acquisition proposal for Japan camera lens maker Tamron
• Positive Sentiment: PlayStation is positioned to benefit from the expected launch of Grand Theft Auto VI, which could drive console sales, software revenue and engagement. Sony is also receiving optimistic box-office expectations for the next Spider-Man film, supporting prospects for its Pictures and licensing businesses. Sony poised for GTA VI boost as memory prices bite
• Neutral Sentiment: Tom Holland said Sony’s Spider-Man franchise considered crossover and story ideas that ultimately were not used. The reports reinforce the franchise’s creative flexibility and commercial importance, but do not represent a new product announcement or direct financial catalyst. Tom Holland Confirms Sony’s Wildest Spider-Man Crossover Plan Almost Happened
• Negative Sentiment: A Japanese earthquake temporarily halted operations at Sony’s Kumamoto Technology Center, a key image-sensor facility. The disruption could pressure sensor shipments and near-term imaging revenue, although the financial impact and restart timeline remain unclear. Sony makes 4 million image sensors a day at this plant in Japan. An earthquake has halted production
• Negative Sentiment: Higher memory-chip prices are expected to raise costs for Sony’s PlayStation hardware and could limit the benefit from anticipated game demand. The company’s latest quarterly earnings also missed the consensus EPS estimate despite revenue exceeding forecasts, adding to investor caution.
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of fan backlash over a possible shift away from physical PlayStation discs signal potential consumer resistance and could create reputational or transition risks if Sony changes its distribution strategy. Sony’s Plan to Kill Physical Discs Ignites the PSBlackout Campaign by Fans

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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