Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate Sony a “Moderate Buy”: Four analysts recommend buying the stock, one gives a strong-buy rating, while one rates it a hold and another a sell. The average 12-month price target is $22.00.
• Sony exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.36 EPS versus the $0.28 consensus and revenue of $17.45 billion, up 8.2% year over year.
• Insiders sold 952,565 shares worth approximately $20.9 million over the past three months, while institutional investors own 14.05% of the company.

Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation, four have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $22.00.

Several analysts have weighed in on SONY shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Sony from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 9th. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Sony in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sony from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Sony in a research note on Monday, August 17th.

Insider Transactions at Sony

In other Sony news, insider Kenji Tanaka sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.83, for a total transaction of $476,600.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 43,899 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,046,113.17. This trade represents a 31.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert Adrian Stringer sold 545,547 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.49, for a total transaction of $12,269,352.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 100,547 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,261,302.03. The trade was a 84.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 952,565 shares of company stock worth $20,915,191 over the last three months. 7.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SONY. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sony during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Sony by 404.1% in the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,109 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 889 shares during the period. Twin Tree Management LP grew its holdings in Sony by 4,218.5% during the 4th quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 1,112 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 1,139 shares in the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sony during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Binnacle Investments Inc lifted 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 buying an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 14.05% of the company's stock.

Sony Price Performance

Sony stock traded up $0.40 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $24.32. 511,444 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,007,665. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $21.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.55. The company has a market cap of $143.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.70, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.92. Sony has a 52-week low of $19.32 and a 52-week high of $30.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.25.

Sony (NYSE:SONY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, August 1st. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $17.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.17 billion. Sony had a negative net margin of 2.00% and a positive return on equity of 13.06%. The firm's revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $42.84 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Sony will post 1.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Sony Company 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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