First Trust Advisors LP Sells 227,976 Shares of Sony Corporation $SONY

First Trust Advisors LP lessened its stake in Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY) by 59.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 156,609 shares of the company’s stock after selling 227,976 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Sony were worth $3,242,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sony in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Sony during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Sony by 404.1% during the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $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 fourth quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 1,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 1,139 shares during the period. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sony during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 14.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Sony

Here are the key news stories impacting Sony this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgrade: Zacks Research raised Sony from “Hold” to “Strong Buy,” adding to the bullish momentum around the stock. Zacks.com
• Positive Sentiment: Profit outlook remains favorable: Sony’s latest quarterly earnings and revenue exceeded consensus estimates, while recent analysis cited faster profit growth, higher forecasts and recurring revenue from its entertainment businesses. Analysts’ average price target suggests substantial additional upside, although targets are not guarantees. Sony Stock Gains 10.9% in a Week
• Positive Sentiment: Entertainment and gaming catalysts: Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day surpassed $1 billion in global box-office revenue. Jefferies also expects 2026 to be a breakout year for Sony, helped by the anticipated launch of Grand Theft Auto VI. Hollywood is cranking out billion-dollar movies again
• Positive Sentiment: Sensor growth potential: Sony’s planned venture with TSMC could improve scale and technology in its image-sensor business, providing a longer-term semiconductor growth opportunity. Sony’s TSMC Sensor Venture
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider transactions: Robert Adrian Stringer, Ravi Ahuja and Tsuyoshi Kodera sold shares, including Stringer’s substantially larger transaction. The filings state the sales were made to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards, making them less indicative of negative views about Sony’s prospects. Sony SEC insider filing
• Negative Sentiment: Risks could limit further gains: Recent commentary highlights Sony’s valuation, currency exposure, cash-flow pressure, earthquake risk, sensor-venture costs and weakness in smartphones. These concerns may become more significant after the stock’s recent rally. Is Sony Stock a Buy?

Sony Stock Up 2.9%

Sony stock opened at $23.09 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $136.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $21.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.49. Sony Corporation has a twelve month low of $19.32 and a twelve month high of $30.34.

Sony (NYSE:SONY) last released its earnings results on Saturday, August 1st. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $17.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.17 billion. Sony had a negative net margin of 2.00% and a positive return on equity of 13.06%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $42.84 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Sony Corporation will post 1.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Sony in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Sony from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Zacks Research upgraded Sony from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Sony in a research note on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $22.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sony news, insider Robert Adrian Stringer sold 545,547 shares of Sony 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 transaction, the insider owned 100,547 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,261,302.03. The trade was a 84.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Ravi Ahuja sold 15,580 shares of Sony stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.71, for a total transaction of $353,821.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 22,096 shares in the company, valued at $501,800.16. The trade was a 41.35% 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 1,350,065 shares of company stock worth $29,878,266. Corporate insiders own 7.00% of the company’s stock.

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.