Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY) Short Interest Update

Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 7,679,851 shares, a growth of 21.9% from the December 15th total of 6,299,702 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 3,928,952 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days. Based on an average daily volume of 3,928,952 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sony

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sony by 17.6% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 585,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,240,000 after purchasing an additional 87,649 shares during the last quarter. Flow Traders U.S. LLC bought a new position in Sony during the 2nd quarter worth $1,228,000. Ethic Inc. lifted its holdings in Sony by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 473,381 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,450,000 after buying an additional 11,220 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Sony by 422.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $421,000 after buying an additional 16,094 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Sony by 15.0% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,858,451 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,375,000 after buying an additional 242,748 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 14.05% of the company’s stock.

Sony News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Sony this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PlayStation gets a confirmed release date for the FPS Marathon (coming March 5), a timely content boost for Sony’s platform and potential near?term engagement and sales upside for PlayStation owners. Marathon release date is now official
• Positive Sentiment: Sony’s PlayStation Store removed roughly 150 low?quality (“shovelware”) titles from a single developer — a move that improves storefront curation, user experience and long?term platform trust (positive for digital revenue quality). Sony’s PlayStation Store Removes ~150 Shovelware Titles
• Positive Sentiment: Sony re?released a paused firmware update for the A7 IV after fixing a bug — restoring autofocus, display and anti?AI tweaks that protect product reputation and could reduce returns/service costs for its Imaging business. A7 IV firmware re?launched
• Neutral Sentiment: Sony’s title sponsorship of the Sony Open (golf) generated headlines as Chris Gotterup won the event; tournament coverage and prize?money reporting are branding positives but unlikely to meaningfully move near?term financials. Sony Open recap
• Negative Sentiment: A new Sony Pictures horror sequel opened much weaker than its predecessor, a disappointment that could pressure the Pictures segment’s near?term box office revenue and studio profitability. Horror sequel opens worse

Sony Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SONY traded down $0.05 on Monday, hitting $24.07. The company had a trading volume of 5,237,477 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,976,180. The stock has a market cap of $145.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.52, a P/E/G ratio of 9.19 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $26.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.28. Sony has a 1-year low of $20.42 and a 1-year high of $30.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Nomura Securities upgraded Sony from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Sony from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $30.00 price target (down previously from $33.00) on shares of Sony in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Cfra Research raised shares of Sony to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Sony from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sony presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $31.50.

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.