Loeb renews its interest in Sony

Article Excerpt

SONY CORP. ADRs $48 (New York symbol SNE; Manufacturing & Industry sector; ADRs outstanding: 1.3 billion; Market cap: $62.4 billion; Dividend yield: 0.6%; Takeover Target Rating: Lowest; www.sony.net) is a leading maker of consumer electronics such as TV sets and video game consoles (under the PlayStation brand). In addition, it owns media businesses that make movies and TV shows. It also sells financial services (banking and insurance) in Japan. The stock has jumped 12% since the start of April 2019 on news reports that activist investor Daniel Loeb, through his Third Point hedge fund, aims to buy up to $1 billion of the company’s shares. It’s likely the activist would then pressure Sony to sell its movie and TV operations. Third Point, which once held 7% of the company, abandoned a similar attempt in 2014 after Sony rejected the proposal. However, investor interest in media assets is rising, particularly in the wake of the $71.3 billion purchase of movie studio Twenty-First Century Fox by Walt…