Sony Group Corporation SONY is scheduled to report second-quarter fiscal 2024 earnings on Nov. 8.
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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at 27 cents per share, indicating a rise of 22.7% from the year-ago reported figure. The consensus estimate for revenues is pegged at $20.3 billion, suggesting growth of 7.7% from the prior-year actuals.
The company’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters while missing in one, with the average surprise being 12.1%.
In the past year, the stock has gained 4.1% compared with the sub-industry’s rise of 1%.
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Factors to Consider
Robust performance across the Game & Network Services (G&NS), Entertainment, Technology & Services, Imaging & Sensing Solutions, Music and Pictures segments is likely to have aided Sony’s top-line performance.
The G&NS division is likely to have gained from higher sales from network services, notably PlayStation Plus and rising sales of non-first-party software titles. Healthy growth in the network services sale due to more customers choosing premium services and an increase in average revenue per user resulting from price adjustments in PlayStation Plus, bodes well for Sony.
Declining hardware sales owing to fewer units sold is likely to have acted as a headwind. In the quarter, Sony announced a 19% price hike for its PS5 console in Japan. Beginning Sept. 2, 2024, the PS5 costs ¥79,980 for the standard edition and ¥72,980 for the digital edition.
Sony Corporation Price and EPS Surprise
Sony Corporation price-eps-surprise | Sony Corporation Quote
Sony’s Music division benefits from the ongoing rise of recorded music and music publishing sales from paid subscription streaming services. The company is pursuing strategic expansion in evolving markets with a strong foothold in Latin America, India, Africa and other global markets.
The Pictures segment is gaining from higher Crunchyroll sales owing to paid subscriber growth amid a decline in theatrical releases and series deliveries in Television Productions. It plans to expand this business by maximizing the value of the IP assets and capitalizing on the opportunity presented by the growing anime market. Sony has inked a global distribution agreement with Amazon Prime Channels, aiming to capitalize on the rapidly evolving Anime market.
However, a downtrend in the Financial Services business is likely to have weighed on Sony’s performance in the to-be-reported quarter. Management remains wary of foreign exchange headwinds and the potential for an economic slowdown, particularly within the United States.
What Our Model Says
Our proven model does not predict an earnings beat for Sony this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. That is not the case here.
Earnings ESP: SONY has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Zacks Rank: SONY currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Stocks With Favorable Combination
Here are some stocks you may consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings this season.
Shopify SHOP has an Earnings ESP of +5.78% and a Zacks Rank #1.
SHOP is set to report its third-quarter 2024 results on Nov. 12. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its to-be-reported quarter’s earnings and revenues is pegged at 27 cents per share and $2.1 billion, respectively. Shopify shares have gained 31.7% in the past year.
Yelp Inc. YELP presently has an Earnings ESP of +15.48% and a Zacks Rank #1. YELP is scheduled to report quarterly numbers on Nov. 7. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its to-be-reported quarter’s earnings and revenues is pegged at 40 cents per share and $362.1 million, respectively. Shares of YELP have lost 22.8% in the past year.
Fortinet, Inc. FTNT has an Earnings ESP of +1.25% and a Zacks Rank #2 at present. Fortinet is scheduled to report quarterly figures on Nov. 7. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its to-be-reported quarter’s earnings and revenues is pegged at 51 cents per share and $1.48 billion, respectively. Shares of FTNT have surged 56.4% in the past year.
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