Gabelli Funds LLC Trims Position in Sony Corporation $SONY

Gabelli Funds LLC lowered its position in shares of Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY) by 2.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,197,641 shares of the company’s stock after selling 121,449 shares during the quarter. Sony makes up approximately 0.7% of Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Sony were worth $107,591,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Sony by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 108,981,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,789,929,000 after acquiring an additional 4,337,062 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Sony during the first quarter worth $39,998,000. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sony in the fourth quarter valued at $47,989,000. UBS Group AG grew its position in shares of Sony by 165.4% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,742,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,205,000 after purchasing an additional 1,709,003 shares during the period. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Sony by 337.6% in the first 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. 14.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Sony News

Here are the key news stories impacting Sony this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sony Pictures reportedly secured or expanded distribution ties for new films including Ramayana and Los Hilos del Miedo, which could support future content revenue and reinforce Sony’s role in global film distribution. Ramayana Movie Lands at Sony
• Positive Sentiment: Sony is said to be reopening Hollywood’s Cinerama Dome and ArcLight Cinemas, a move that could boost theater operations and signal confidence in a rebound in moviegoing demand. Sony to reopen Hollywood’s Cinerama Dome and ArcLight Cinemas
• Positive Sentiment: Sony launched or highlighted a new FX5 cinema camera with 5K open-gate recording, internal RAW support, and AI features, reinforcing its premium imaging franchise and product pipeline. Sony’s new cinema camera offers 5K recording, built-in AI processing
• Positive Sentiment: Sony’s new high-end “The Collexion” headphones are getting favorable attention, and cheaper XM5 pricing may help stimulate demand in consumer audio. Sony’s ‘The Collexion’ Headphones Set New Standard for Audio Engineering and Sound Design
• Neutral Sentiment: Several reports about Sony’s cinema camera FX5 emphasized technical upgrades, but they are more of a product refresh than a clear near-term earnings catalyst. Sony FX5 Launches With a New Sensor Open Gate Recording and Internal RAW Support
• Negative Sentiment: One report warned that Sony’s push to end physical discs could hurt the $7.2 billion used-games market, raising concerns about pushback from gamers and the broader gaming ecosystem. Sony’s decision to end physical discs could destroy the $7.2 Billion second-hand games market, per analysis

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on SONY. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Sony in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Sony in a report on Monday, May 11th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Sony has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.00.

Insider Transactions at Sony

In other Sony news, Director Kenichiro Yoshida sold 400,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.61, for a total transaction of $9,044,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 661,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,959,115.15. The trade was a 37.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ravi Ahuja sold 36,826 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.08, for a total value of $776,292.08. Following the sale, the insider owned 58,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,239,208.88. This represents a 38.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 771,838 shares of company stock valued at $16,866,580 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 7.00% of the company’s stock.

Sony Stock Performance

NYSE:SONY opened at $21.01 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The company has a market cap of $124.15 billion, a P/E ratio of -105.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.94. Sony Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $19.32 and a fifty-two week high of $30.34. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $21.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.65.

Sony (NYSE:SONY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.13). Sony had a negative net margin of 2.61% and a positive return on equity of 12.20%. The company had revenue of $19.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $32.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Sony Corporation will post 1.28 EPS for the current year.

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.