Sony Group(SONY)2024-02-13 16:00Financial Performance - For the three months ended December 31, 2023, consolidated Adjusted OIBDA increased to ¥628.3 billion, up from ¥561.5 billion in the same period last year, representing a growth of 11.9%[6] - The nine months ended December 31, 2023, saw a consolidated Adjusted OIBDA of ¥1,450.3 billion, a decrease of 5.1% from ¥1,527.5 billion in the previous year[6] - The forecast for consolidated sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, has been revised to ¥12,300 billion, a decrease of ¥100 billion or 0.8% from the previous forecast[8] - Operating income for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, is expected to be ¥1,180 billion, an increase of ¥10 billion or 0.9% from the November forecast[8] - Net income attributable to Sony Group Corporation's stockholders is projected to be ¥920 billion, reflecting an increase of ¥40 billion or 4.5% from the previous forecast[8] - Adjusted EBITDA for the fiscal year is expected to be ¥1,770 billion, a decrease of ¥15 billion from the previous forecast[8] - Adjusted OIBDA for the three months ended December 31, 2023, was ¥628.3 billion, an increase of 11.9% from ¥561.5 billion in the same period of 2022[29] - Adjusted EBITDA for the three months ended December 31, 2023, reached ¥605.0 billion, up from ¥529.5 billion in 2022, reflecting a growth of 14.3%[31] - Net income attributable to Sony Group Corporation's stockholders for the three months ended December 31, 2023, was ¥363.9 billion, compared to ¥321.5 billion in 2022, an increase of 13.2%[31] - Net income attributable to Sony Group Corporation's stockholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, was ¥1,005.3 billion[42] - Adjusted EBITDA for the same fiscal year was ¥1,797.6 billion[42] Segment Performance - The Game & Network Services segment is expected to see sales of ¥4,150 billion, down from the November forecast of ¥4,360 billion, primarily due to lower hardware sales[14] - The Music segment's sales forecast has been increased to ¥1,570 billion, up from ¥1,560 billion, driven by favorable foreign exchange rates[14] - Financial services revenue is expected to rise to ¥1,300 billion, an increase from the November forecast of ¥1,210 billion, due to higher net gains on investments[14] - The Imaging & Sensing Solutions segment's sales are projected to remain unchanged from the November forecast, with expected sales of ¥1,590 billion[19] - The Game & Network Services segment reported an operating income of ¥86.1 billion for the three months ended December 31, 2023, down from ¥116.2 billion in 2022, a decline of 26%[29] - The Music segment's operating income increased to ¥76.1 billion in Q3 2023, compared to ¥63.0 billion in Q3 2022, representing a growth of 20.5%[29] - Imaging & Sensing Solutions segment's Adjusted OIBDA rose to ¥163.7 billion in Q3 2023, up 21.5% from ¥134.7 billion in Q3 2022[29] - The Financial Services segment's Adjusted OIBDA increased to ¥84.3 billion in Q3 2023, up from ¥53.8 billion in Q3 2022, a growth of 56.7%[29] - The Game & Network Services segment reported a total revenue of ¥1,444,427 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023, up by ¥197,878 million or 15.9% from ¥1,246,549 million in 2022[63] - The Imaging & Sensing Solutions segment achieved an operating income of ¥99,715 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023, an increase of ¥14,864 million or 17.5% compared to ¥84,851 million in 2022[65] - The Financial Services segment saw a substantial increase in customers' revenue, reaching ¥309,435 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023, up by ¥287,314 million or 129.9% from ¥22,121 million in 2022[63] Assets and Liabilities - Total current assets increased by ¥1,646.4 billion from March 31, 2023, to December 31, 2023, reaching ¥7,368.9 billion[52] - Total assets as of December 31, 2023, were ¥33,643.6 billion, an increase of ¥2,489.5 billion from March 31, 2023[54] - Total liabilities increased by ¥1,677.9 billion from March 31, 2023, to December 31, 2023, totaling ¥26,174.9 billion[54] - Sony's retained earnings rose by ¥682.9 billion from March 31, 2023, to December 31, 2023, reaching ¥5,775.4 billion[54] - Cash and cash equivalents decreased from ¥1,480.9 billion on March 31, 2023, to ¥2,019.1 billion on December 31, 2023, reflecting a change of ¥538.2 billion[52] - Total current liabilities rose from ¥5,290,837 million in March 2022 to ¥5,855,511 million in March 2023, an increase of about 10.7%[76] - Long-term debt increased from ¥470,498 million in March 2022 to ¥692,552 million in March 2023, a rise of about 47.0%[76] - Total liabilities increased from ¥19,053,619 million in March 2022 to ¥19,411,922 million in March 2023, reflecting a growth of about 1.9%[76] Cash Flow and Dividends - Net cash provided by operating activities for the nine months ended December 31, 2023, was ¥931,958 million, a significant increase from a net cash used of ¥81,623 million in the same period of 2022[61] - Cash flows from operating activities improved significantly, with net cash provided increasing from ¥(81,623) million in 2022 to ¥931,958 million in 2023[79] - The company declared dividends of ¥98,685 million for the nine months ended December 31, 2023, compared to ¥86,635 million in the same period of 2022, reflecting an increase of approximately 13.9%[62] - Dividends paid increased from ¥86,384 million in 2022 to ¥98,424 million in 2023, reflecting a commitment to returning value to shareholders[80] Future Outlook and Strategic Changes - Sony expects to record approximately 20 billion yen as operating income for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, following the transfer of shares of Sony Payment Services Inc.[87] - Sony has commenced preparations for a partial spin-off of Sony Financial Group Inc., which operates the Financial Services business, with plans for a share listing[88] - The Financial Services business will be presented separately as a discontinued operation prior to the execution of the spin-off, in accordance with IFRS 5[89] - The effect of the spin-off on Sony's results of operations and financial positions has not yet been determined[89] - Sony adopted IFRS 17 "Insurance Contracts" effective April 1, 2023, which will impact the recognition and measurement of insurance contracts going forward[81] Shareholder Information - Basic net income per share attributable to Sony Group Corporation's stockholders for the three months ended December 31, 2023, was ¥295.67, an increase of ¥35.39 or 13.5% from the previous year[55] - The weighted-average shares outstanding for diluted EPS computation for the three months ended December 31, 2023, was 1,234,358 thousand shares, a decrease from 1,238,413 thousand shares in the same period of 2022[84] - The weighted-average shares outstanding for basic EPS computation for the nine months ended December 31, 2023, was 1,232,879 thousand shares, a decrease from 1,236,176 thousand shares in the same period of 2022[84] - The effect of dilutive securities for the nine months ended December 31, 2023, included 3,922 thousand shares from stock options and other, compared to 3,632 thousand shares in the same period of 2022[84]