Sony (NYSE:SONY) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Sony from “hold” to “buy,” though the broader analyst consensus remains “Hold” with an average price target of $22.00.
• Sony’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $0.36 versus $0.28 expected and revenue of $17.45 billion versus $17.17 billion anticipated; revenue increased 8.2% year over year.
• Insiders sold 771,838 shares worth approximately $16.9 million over the last quarter, while institutional investors own 14.05% of Sony’s stock.

Sony (NYSE:SONY - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Sony in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Sony in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sony presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $22.00.

Sony Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of SONY opened at $23.33 on Friday. Sony has a 1-year low of $19.32 and a 1-year high of $30.34. The company has a market capitalization of $137.84 billion, a P/E ratio of -116.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $21.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.56.

Sony (NYSE:SONY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $17.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.17 billion. Sony had a negative net margin of 2.61% and a positive return on equity of 12.20%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $42.84 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Sony will post 1.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sony

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

Institutional Trading of Sony

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SONY. WCM Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Sony by 337.6% during the 1st quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 1,949,592 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,836,000 after acquiring an additional 1,504,035 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Sony during the first quarter worth about $23,933,000. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Sony by 422.0% in 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 position in shares of Sony during the first quarter valued at approximately $39,998,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sony by 28.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 14.05% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Sony

Here are the key news stories impacting Sony this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sony reported first-quarter revenue of $17.45 billion, up 8.2% year over year and above the $17.17 billion consensus estimate. EPS of $0.36 also exceeded expectations of $0.28, while operating profit reportedly rose 40%, helped by gaming and image sensors. Sony posts 40% rise in Q1 profit, beating estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its fiscal 2026 outlook, including revenue guidance of approximately $81.7 billion versus the $78.4 billion analyst consensus. The upgrade signals management expects continued momentum, particularly from the gaming business. SONY Q1 Earnings & Sales Rise on Gaming & Sensors
• Positive Sentiment: Music revenue increased sharply, with global music-business revenue topping $3.53 billion amid stronger vinyl, live-event and merchandise sales. This diversification supports Sony’s higher-margin entertainment strategy. Sony’s Global Music Business Revenue
• Positive Sentiment: Spider-Man: Brand New Day generated a record $72 million in domestic preview sales and is projected to approach $270 million in its opening weekend, improving the outlook for Sony Pictures and theatrical releases. Spider-Man: Brand New Day box office preview
• Positive Sentiment: Sony said it has secured sufficient memory supply for the PS5 units it expects to sell this year, reducing a potential hardware constraint ahead of anticipated demand tied to major game launches. Sony says it has plenty of RAM for PlayStation

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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