Sony (NYSE:SONY) Stock Rating Lowered by Sanford C. Bernstein

Sony (NYSE:SONY) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They presently have a $22.00 price objective on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 5.19% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Nomura raised Sony from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Zacks Research cut Sony from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Sony from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Sony to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 6th. Four equities research 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, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.00.

Sony Trading Down 3.4%

NYSE:SONY opened at $20.92 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $126.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -104.57, a PEG ratio of 7.69 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $22.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.21. Sony has a 52 week low of $20.42 and a 52 week high of $30.34.

Institutional Trading of Sony

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Flow Traders U.S. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sony during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,228,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Sony by 14.3% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 760,207 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,886,000 after buying an additional 95,077 shares during the last quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Sony during the third quarter valued at approximately $4,371,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in Sony by 7,377.3% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 3,374,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $97,145,000 after buying an additional 3,329,147 shares during the period. Finally, Factory Mutual Insurance Co. purchased a new stake in Sony during the third quarter valued at approximately $4,811,000. Institutional investors own 14.05% of the company’s stock.

More Sony News

Here are the key news stories impacting Sony this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sony’s PS5 Pro AI upscaling (PSSR) is rolling out to 14 more games and receives an enhanced update, improving perceived console value and extending the lifespan of PS5 Pro hardware and software ecosystem. This can support software and hardware sales and recurring engagement. Sony’s PS5 Pro AI upscaling comes to 14 more games, rollout starts today
• Positive Sentiment: Sony released a 1080p “High Quality” streaming mode for the PlayStation Portal and improved streaming performance — a firmware boost that makes the Portal offering more compelling for remote play and accessory revenue. PlayStation Portal Update Adds 1080p High Quality Mode and ‘Refined Streaming Experience’ — Here’s What’s New
• Positive Sentiment: Related PlayStation updates: Sony rolled out the 1080p high?quality mode to the Portal across platforms and pushed a big PSSR upscaling update to PS5 Pro — both strengthen PlayStation’s hardware/software differentiation. Sony rolls out 1080p high quality mode update to PlayStation Portal
• Positive Sentiment: Sony Semiconductor Solutions announced a 4K image sensor for security cameras using industry?small 1.45 µm LOFIC pixels — a product win that supports growth in sensors (high-margin B2B business) and expands addressable market. Sony Semiconductor Solutions to Release 4K Image Sensor for Security Cameras
• Positive Sentiment: Sony Pictures signed a multiyear first?look and co?financing pact with Macro Film Studios, expanding content slate and potential film revenue streams. Sony Pictures & Macro Film Studios Ink Multiyear First-Look & Co-Financing Pact
• Positive Sentiment: Music division: Kane Brown re?signed with Sony Nashville — a retention signal for publishing/record income stability in Sony’s music segment. Kane Brown Re-Ups With Sony Nashville
• Neutral Sentiment: Camera ecosystem: third?party PDMOVIE adapter unlocks AF modes for Sony cameras when using manual lenses — a niche but positive user?experience development for Sony’s imaging enthusiasts. New PDMOVIE Smart Fusion adapter unlocks Sony camera AF modes for manual focus lenses
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst action: Sanford C. Bernstein cut its price target to $22 (from $30) and reiterated Market Perform — the downgrade and reduced target are pressuring the stock and have coincided with intraday weakness. Sony Stock Slides As Bernstein Downgrades To Market Perform
• Negative Sentiment: Asset sale/strategy: Wanda bought out Sony’s ~$49M stake in the kids’ franchise Octonauts — a small cash realization but signals non?core divestiture of IP, which may slightly reduce future content upside. ‘Octonauts’: Wanda Buys Out Sony’s $49M Stake In Hit Kids Franchise
• Negative Sentiment: Auto/EV exposure: a reported pullback by Honda US on EV plans could leave Sony’s electric sedan JV strategy with partners facing uncertainty, adding execution risk to mobility ambitions. Honda US EV Pullback Leaves Sony’s Electric Sedan Hanging

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.