Sony shares plunge on loss forecast

Sony stock dropped as much as 12 per cent in Tokyo before closing at 1,940.0 yen on the back of news of a likely $2.3bn annual loss.

Sony Xperia mobile phones

Sony shares plunger 12% after the giant warned that it would lose $US2.14 billion this fiscal year. (AAP)

Sony shares have plunged with the electronics giant warning of a $US2.14 billion ($A2.32 billion) annual loss linked to its struggling mobile phone unit.

The stock dropped as much as 12 per cent before closing Thursday at 1,940.0 yen, down 8.64 per cent, after a frenzied session in response to the shock announcement the previous day.

It also said it would not pay a dividend for the first time since listing in Tokyo more than five decades ago.

Sony blamed its ballooning losses on a writedown for its mobile phone business, where it said it would cut staff by 15 per cent, or about 1000 jobs, and focus more on top-end models including its flagship Xperia smartphone.

The announcement stood in contrast to previous comments from boss Kazuo Hirai who had said the mobile division was crucial to a corporate overhaul aimed at reversing years of losses.

The firm has been forced to cut its smartphone sales forecasts as it struggles to fend off rivals including Samsung and Apple, which is releasing its newest iPhone in several key markets, including Japan, this week.

"Management's resolve to make difficult decisions will be tested if performance in the mobile business does not improve," Fitch ratings agency said in a report on Thursday, adding that a "more aggressive reform to revamp Sony's product and business portfolio is overdue".

Sony, which has seen its credit rating slashed to junk, has issued a string of downward earnings revisions over the past two years as Hirai embarked on a restructuring of the once world leading consumer electronics firm.

The turnaround plan has included thousands of layoffs, exiting the personal computer business, and liquidating assets that saw the $1.0 billion sale of Sony's Manhattan headquarters.

News Sony was heading for a 230 billion yen ($A2.32 billion) net loss in the fiscal year to March 2015 comes only months after it tipped a shortfall of just 50 billion yen, citing a turnaround in its television unit which has lost money for a decade.


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