Sony Corporation $SONY Shares Sold by Gabelli Funds LLC

Key Points

• Gabelli Funds LLC reduced its Sony stake by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 347,945 shares and leaving it with 5.32 million shares worth about $136.2 million. Sony remains a meaningful holding for the fund, accounting for 0.9% of its portfolio.
• Sony’s latest earnings disappointed on profit, with quarterly EPS of $0.09 coming in below the $0.22 consensus estimate, even as revenue rose 8.3% year over year to $19.15 billion.
• Recent Sony product launches drew mixed attention: the new Xperia 1 VIII smartphone and fresh imaging gear could support the business, but critics highlighted camera tradeoffs and AI-related concerns that may limit enthusiasm around the phone rollout.

Gabelli Funds LLC trimmed its stake in Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY - Free Report) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,319,090 shares of the company's stock after selling 347,945 shares during the quarter. Sony makes up 0.9% of Gabelli Funds LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Gabelli Funds LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Sony worth $136,169,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in SONY. YANKCOM Partnership raised its holdings in shares of Sony by 748.7% in the fourth quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 976 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 861 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sony in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sony in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sony by 304.0% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 1,010 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 760 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Binnacle Investments Inc raised its holdings in shares of Sony by 81.7% in the third quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 1,032 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. 14.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Sony

Here are the key news stories impacting Sony this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sony unveiled the Xperia 1 VIII with larger camera sensors and a redesigned body, giving its premium phone lineup a fresh hardware refresh that could help stabilize mobile sales. Sony's Xperia 1 VIII has bigger camera sensors and a new look
• Positive Sentiment: Sony also introduced the a7R VI and a new FE 100-400mm F4.5 GM OSS lens, which could reinforce the company’s strong position in high-end imaging and camera accessories. Sony's a7R VI comes speeding out of the studio
• Positive Sentiment: Sony executive Sanford Panitch said streaming has not created true global intellectual property, a reminder that Sony still sees value in traditional film and franchise monetization beyond streaming alone. Sony's Sanford Panitch says streaming has never created true global IP
• Neutral Sentiment: Several reviews praised the Xperia 1 VIII’s camera ambitions but also flagged confusing AI processing and at least one major camera tradeoff, making the reception more uncertain than clearly positive. Sony sure seems to be sabotaging the Xperia 1 VIII with its new camera assistant
• Negative Sentiment: Other coverage said Sony’s Xperia 1 VIII still has lingering problems and that AI-touched camera samples were disappointing, which could weigh on consumer sentiment around the flagship phone launch. Sony shows off AI-touched Xperia 1 VIII camera samples. It’s an epic self-own that I can’t digest
• Negative Sentiment: Critics also said the new Xperia flagship makes a major camera tradeoff and that Sony is still ignoring key handset issues, which could limit the phone’s ability to drive a stronger turnaround in mobile. Sony's new Xperia flagship phone makes a major camera tradeoff

Sony Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SONY opened at $22.32 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $132.76 billion, a P/E ratio of -111.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. Sony Corporation has a 52 week low of $19.63 and a 52 week high of $30.34. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.88.

Sony (NYSE:SONY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $19.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.43 billion. Sony had a negative net margin of 2.61% and a positive return on equity of 12.20%. Sony's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $32.86 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Sony Corporation will post 1.31 EPS for the current year.

Sony Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 30th will be given a dividend of $0.0796 per share. This represents a yield of 80.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 30th. Sony's payout ratio is -55.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Sony from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $22.00 price target (down from $30.00) on shares of Sony in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sony presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $22.00.

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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