Madison Asset Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Sony Corporation $SONY

Madison Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY) by 29.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 74,432 shares of the company’s stock after selling 30,471 shares during the period. Madison Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Sony were worth $1,905,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Sony by 2.8% in the third quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 13,670 shares of the company’s stock worth $394,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. West Family Investments Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sony by 1.1% in the third quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $985,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares in the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Sony by 1.3% in the third quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 30,408 shares of the company’s stock worth $875,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Sony by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Glenmede Investment Management LP increased its stake in shares of Sony by 1.0% in the third quarter. Glenmede Investment Management LP now owns 42,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,223,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 14.05% of the company’s stock.

Sony Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SONY opened at $22.12 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $20.94 and a 200 day moving average of $23.93. The stock has a market cap of $131.62 billion, a P/E ratio of -110.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.92. Sony Corporation has a 12 month low of $19.63 and a 12 month high of $30.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

Sony (NYSE:SONY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.13). The firm had revenue of $19.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.43 billion. Sony had a negative net margin of 2.61% and a positive return on equity of 12.20%. Sony’s revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $32.86 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Sony Corporation will post 1.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sony Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SONY has been the subject of several recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated 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. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Sony from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Sony in a research note on Monday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.00.

Sony News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Sony this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sony launched the Alpha 7R VI, a new high-resolution camera with a 66.8-megapixel sensor and improved continuous shooting, which may lift demand in its imaging division. Sony Electronics Accelerates High-Resolution Photography with the Alpha 7R VI
• Positive Sentiment: Sony unveiled the Xperia 1 VIII with a bigger camera sensor and upgraded telephoto hardware, which could help its premium smartphone and mobile imaging efforts. Sony Xperia 1 VIII launches with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, upgraded 48MP telephoto camera
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary suggested streaming alone has not produced lasting global IP, underscoring Sony’s broader strategy around franchises and owned content. Sony’s Sanford Panitch says streaming has never created true global IP
• Negative Sentiment: Early coverage of the Xperia 1 VIII was critical of Sony’s AI camera processing and lingering phone issues, raising concerns about consumer reception. Sony sure seems to be sabotaging the Xperia 1 VIII with its new camera assistant
• Negative Sentiment: Reviews also pointed to a major camera tradeoff and skepticism around the Xperia 1 VIII’s AI tuning, which could limit upside for the handset launch. Xperia 1 VIII is Sony’s latest camera nerd phone, but I’m wary of all the AI tuning

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.