Sony (NYSE:SONY) Insider Sells $388,512.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Sony insider Tsuyoshi Kodera sold 17,100 shares for $388,512, reducing his direct ownership by 26.47% to 47,508 shares. The sale was made to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards.
• Sony reported quarterly EPS of $0.36, exceeding the $0.28 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 8.2% year over year to $17.45 billion. Shares recently traded near $22.50, compared with a 52-week range of $19.32 to $30.34.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $22.00; institutional investors own 14.05% of the stock, and several funds recently increased their positions.

Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY - Get Free Report) insider Tsuyoshi Kodera sold 17,100 shares of Sony stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.72, for a total transaction of $388,512.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 47,508 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,079,381.76. This represents a 26.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Tsuyoshi Kodera also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, June 17th, Tsuyoshi Kodera sold 51,000 shares of Sony stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.54, for a total transaction of $1,047,540.00.
• On Monday, May 18th, Tsuyoshi Kodera sold 17,500 shares of Sony stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.61, for a total transaction of $395,675.00.

Sony Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SONY traded up $0.14 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $22.50. The stock had a trading volume of 1,325,133 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,163,545. The stock has a market capitalization of $132.90 billion, a PE ratio of 21.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.94. Sony Corporation has a 52 week low of $19.32 and a 52 week high of $30.34. The business's 50-day moving average price is $21.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.51.

Sony (NYSE:SONY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, August 1st. The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.08. Sony had a positive return on equity of 13.06% and a negative net margin of 2.00%.The business had revenue of $17.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $42.84 EPS. Sony's revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sony Corporation will post 1.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sony

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SONY. WCM Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sony by 337.6% in the 1st quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 1,949,592 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,836,000 after purchasing an additional 1,504,035 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sony during the first quarter worth $23,933,000. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Sony by 422.0% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,908 shares of the company's stock worth $421,000 after purchasing an additional 16,094 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in Sony in the first quarter valued at about $39,998,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its holdings in Sony by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 973,178 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,913,000 after purchasing an additional 212,971 shares during the last quarter. 14.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Sony News

Here are the key news stories impacting Sony this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street analysts’ average price target implies approximately 29.8% potential upside. Positive earnings-estimate revisions are also supporting the investment case, although price targets are not a guarantee of future performance. Wall Street analysts’ Sony price-target outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary describes Sony as a strong value stock, potentially attracting investors seeking a combination of valuation support, growth and improving momentum. Why Sony is viewed as a value stock
• Positive Sentiment: Sony’s planned sensor venture with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing could improve imaging technology, manufacturing scale and long-term competitiveness, adding a possible growth catalyst beyond its consumer-electronics businesses. Sony and TSMC sensor venture
• Neutral Sentiment: New products, including a lower-priced FE 100-400mm camera lens, a 720Hz gaming monitor and updated headphones, reinforce Sony’s product pipeline but are unlikely by themselves to materially change near-term earnings. Sony camera lens launch
• Negative Sentiment: The sensor initiative carries earthquake exposure and significant setup costs, while weakness in the smartphone market could limit returns. These risks may temper enthusiasm over the venture’s longer-term potential. Risks to Sony’s sensor venture
• Negative Sentiment: Sony’s acknowledgment that its Spider-Man spin-off strategy failed to satisfy audiences raises concerns about entertainment execution and the reliability of franchise-driven revenue, though the impact on consolidated results is uncertain. Sony’s Spider-Man spin-off strategy

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Sony in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Sony from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Sony in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Four equities research 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 presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average 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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