Fact based stock research
Sony (TSE:6758)

JP3435000009

How to read the free ranks

For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Sony stock research in summary

sony.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 3 (worse than 97% compared with investment alternatives), Sony (Consumer Electronics, Japan) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Sony are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 12 (worse than 88% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 21), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 15), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 3, is a sell recommendation based on Sony's financial characteristics. As the company Sony's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 12), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 21), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 15), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. Such poor financial performance sometimes indicates that the company's business is all concentrated in some distant future. This is sometimes the case for high-tech or biotechnology companies. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and risky today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts are all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that should only amount to a small fraction of a safe portfolio. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	12
Growth Rank	21
Safety Rank	15
Combined Rank	3

Country	Japan
Industry	Consumer Electronics
Index	TOPIX 100, Recycling, Nikkei 225
Size class	XX-Large

19-Dec-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.

Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Sony

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	68	11	25	12
GROWTH
GROWTH	64	35	51	21
SAFETY
SAFETY	4	25	9	15
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	29	49	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	5	19	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 19-Dec-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Sony is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	68	11	25	12
GROWTH
GROWTH	64	35	51	21
SAFETY
SAFETY	4	25	9	15
COMBINED
COMBINED	42	3	9	3

Last update of combined financial performance: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Sony the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 12 (worse than 88% compared with alternatives), Sony shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for Sony. Price-to-Sales is 48 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 52% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Sony's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 37, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of Sony. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 40 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 88% of comparable companies, also make the stock more expensive compared with investment alternatives. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 12, is a sell recommendation based on Sony's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for Sony? One reason may be that the company is simply too popular. If enough people want a particular stock, its price can exceed reasonable levels. This is often the case for companies offering new and exciting products and everybody wants a piece of the action. Should you pay a lot for a hot stock such as Sony? It's risky, and even if the stock price continues to grow because of popular demand, it may return to more typical lower levels later. And that return can be sudden and quick, making it impossible for retail investors to exit on time. Sometimes, high prices are deserved. This is the case when it is justified to believe that the company will dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for commercially successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. Sony may be such a type of stock. That would mean, retail investors should be careful, only considering investing a small part of their wealth in this exciting category and always being ready to lose more than half, if not all of the investment. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	55	35	50	48
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	75	18	57	40
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	47	47	51	37
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	59	4	4	12
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	68	11	25	12

Last update of Value Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Sony; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 21 (better than 21% compared with alternatives), Sony shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Sony. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 9, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 91% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 18, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 32. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 68% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 83, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 83% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 21, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for Sony, and it still looks bad, but some investors already see light at the end of the tunnel, rewarding the stock with recent above-market stock returns. It could also mean that investors are correcting an overreaction to negative news. If that were the case, the positive stock returns are not yet a sign of recovery. Investors should look closely at the Value and Sentiment indicators before they make a stock purchasing decision, because growth is unlikely to be the driving argument behind this investment. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is low here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	46	41	6	9
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	36	4	68	32
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	58	55	18
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	82	79	47	83
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	64	35	51	21

Last update of Growth Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Sony.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 15 (better than 15% compared with alternatives), the company Sony has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Sony is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for Sony. Liquidity is at 71, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 71% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 1, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 99% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 28, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 72% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 15 (worse than 85% compared with alternatives), Sony has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. If the company is sailing with good winds, as may be visible from the Growth and Sentiment performance, the refinancing risk may be lower than the low Refinancing rank suggests. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	16	36	22	28
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	6	1	1	1
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	42	69	67	71
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	4	25	9	15

Last update of Safety Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Sony and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	65	67	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	72	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	19	68	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	10	8	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	29	49	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Sony.
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