Handelsbanken Fonder AB Cuts Stock Position in Sony Corporation $SONY

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lowered its holdings in Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,176,915 shares of the company’s stock after selling 70,000 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Sony were worth $30,129,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Csenge Advisory Group purchased a new position in Sony in the fourth quarter worth $259,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its stake in shares of Sony by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 51,867 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,328,000 after buying an additional 4,957 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Sony by 48.8% in the fourth quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 14,439 shares of the company’s stock valued at $371,000 after buying an additional 4,738 shares during the period. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sony in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Abacus Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sony in the fourth quarter valued at $1,145,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 14.05% of the company’s stock.

Sony Stock Performance

Shares of SONY opened at $22.75 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $135.33 billion, a PE ratio of -113.73, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $21.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.94. Sony Corporation has a 1 year low of $19.63 and a 1 year high of $30.34.

Sony (NYSE:SONY) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $19.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $32.86 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Sony Corporation will post 1.31 EPS for the current year.

Sony Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.0796 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 80.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 30th. Sony’s payout ratio is presently -55.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kenichiro Yoshida sold 400,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director directly owned 661,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,959,115.15. The trade was a 37.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Tsuyoshi Kodera sold 17,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.61, for a total value of $395,675.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 27,553 shares in the company, valued at approximately $622,973.33. The trade was a 38.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 7.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on SONY shares. Weiss Ratings lowered Sony from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $22.00 target price (down from $30.00) on shares of Sony in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Sony in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sony currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.00.

Sony News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Sony this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sony announced a new production deal involving Sony TV and Crave, adding to its content pipeline and signaling continued strength in entertainment partnerships.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Sony as a strong value stock, which may help support investor sentiment around the shares.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sony bought a production company behind reality-TV franchises, a move that expands its media footprint but is not likely to move the stock sharply on its own.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent product and brand coverage around Xperia phones, TVs, headphones, and gaming features points to ongoing consumer-interest activity, though these items appear more promotional than financially material.
• Negative Sentiment: Director Kenichiro Yoshida sold 400,000 shares of Sony stock, and insider Tsuyoshi Kodera also sold shares, a combination that can weigh on sentiment because it may signal limited near-term confidence from leadership. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Sony faced criticism after raising PlayStation Plus subscription prices, which could raise concerns about gamer backlash and slower subscription growth.
• Negative Sentiment: One report also said Sony is being sued over alleged tariff-related windfall profits, adding an overhang of legal and reputational risk.

Sony 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.