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Sony's Subsidiary to Acquire a Stake in Peanuts Holdings

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Sony Corporation’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Sony Music Entertainment, recently entered into a definitive agreement with DHX Media Ltd. Per the deal, Sony Music will acquire 49% of the 80% equity interest held by DHX Media in Peanuts Holdings LLC. Notably, this $185-million agreement is expected to conclude on or about Jun 30, 2018.

On completion of the deal, Sony Music will own about 39% of equity interest in Peanuts Holdings, whereas DHX Media will own about 41% of the same. The remaining 20% of the stake will continue to be owned by family members of Peanuts Holdings’ creator, Charles M. Schulz.

Our Take

We expect Sony’s diligent efforts in its Branded Product Business, including Mobile Communications, Imaging Product & Solutions, and Home Entertainment & Sound segments to facilitate solid growth. Measures like cost-reduction initiatives, lower exposure in low-profit geographic regions and reduction in advertising & promotion expenses are also anticipated to benefit this business in the long run. Moreover, the spectacular performance of the company’s Music business has proved to be a solid profit churner.

In the past six months, shares of Sony have gained 4.8%, outperforming the industry’s increase of 0.9%.

 

Meanwhile, the company’s Game & Network Services business, which accounts for its service-related revenues, has proved to be one of the strongest growth drivers. Per Sony’s mid-term business plan, console sales, subscriber addition to PlayStation network and virtual reality headset prospects are likely to drive its performance. For instance, over the past few quarters, robust sales of its flagship gaming product, PlayStation, have provided a boost to the top line. We believe strong sales of the PS4 hardware and software units should continue to fuel growth for the segment, moving ahead.

Furthermore, this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company’s ardent eye for strategic acquisitions and joint ventures is anticipated to be beneficial to its business. In this context, the Altair Semiconductor buyout is one of the notable acquisitions made by Sony. This buyout should expand the company’s footprint in the thriving wearable and IoT devices market. Also, it completed the buyouts of eSATURNUS NV and Zee Entertainment Enterprises’ sports broadcasting business, TEN Sports Network. Such strategic acquisitions are likely to enable the company develop new products, broaden customer base and market share.

Other Stocks to Consider

Some other top-ranked stocks from the same space include Cable One, Inc. (CABO - Free Report) , PVH Corp. (PVH - Free Report) and Amaya Inc. . While Cable One sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), PVH and Amaya carry a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Cable One surpassed estimates twice in the trailing four quarters, with an average positive earnings surprise of 3.4%.

PVH outpaced estimates in the preceding four quarters, with an average earnings surprise of 3.9%.

Amaya surpassed estimates thrice in the preceding four quarters, with an average positive earnings surprise of 15.1%.

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