Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Sony has an average analyst rating of “Hold” from seven analysts, with four buy ratings, two holds, and one sell; the consensus 12-month price target is $22.00.
• The company’s latest earnings missed EPS estimates at $0.09 versus $0.22 expected, though revenue came in above forecasts at $19.15 billion and rose 8.3% year over year.
• Recent headlines around Sony are mixed: new Xperia 1 VIII and a7R VI product launches could support its hardware business, but reviews of the phone have highlighted camera tradeoffs and AI-related concerns.

Shares of Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the seven analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $22.00.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on SONY shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Sony from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated 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 reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Sony in a research note on Monday.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sony by 422.0% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,908 shares of the company's stock valued at $421,000 after acquiring an additional 16,094 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Sony by 26.7% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 178,889 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,542,000 after purchasing an additional 37,677 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Sony by 23.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 22,013 shares of the company's stock valued at $573,000 after purchasing an additional 4,172 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Sony by 24.6% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 16,501 shares of the company's stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 3,255 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new position in Sony during the second quarter worth $26,058,000. 14.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sony Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE SONY opened at $22.32 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.92. Sony has a one year low of $19.63 and a one year high of $30.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $132.76 billion, a P/E ratio of -111.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Sony (NYSE:SONY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $19.15 billion during 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 period last year, the firm posted $32.86 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Sony will post 1.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Sony Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 30th will be paid a $0.0796 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 30th. This represents a dividend yield of 80.0%. Sony's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -55.00%.

Trending Headlines about 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

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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