FY2025 EPS Estimates for Sonic Automotive, Inc. Reduced by Seaport Res Ptn (NYSE:SAH)

Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) – Investment analysts at Seaport Res Ptn lowered their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Sonic Automotive in a research report issued on Thursday, July 18th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst G. Chin now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $6.41 for the year, down from their previous estimate of $6.49. The consensus estimate for Sonic Automotive’s current full-year earnings is $5.80 per share.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $3.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.45 billion. Sonic Automotive had a return on equity of 27.46% and a net margin of 1.21%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.33 earnings per share.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on SAH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Sonic Automotive from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $53.00 to $58.00 in a report on Monday, June 10th. Bank of America cut their target price on Sonic Automotive from $68.00 to $67.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $56.75.

Sonic Automotive Trading Down 3.1 %

Shares of NYSE:SAH opened at $55.22 on Monday. Sonic Automotive has a fifty-two week low of $41.19 and a fifty-two week high of $64.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11. The company has a market cap of $1.87 billion, a PE ratio of 11.32 and a beta of 1.62. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $56.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.34.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its stake in shares of Sonic Automotive by 2,718.9% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 29,880 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,427,000 after acquiring an additional 28,820 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Sonic Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at $1,770,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in Sonic Automotive in the 4th quarter worth about $416,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new position in Sonic Automotive in the 4th quarter worth about $218,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in Sonic Automotive by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 3,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $176,000 after buying an additional 447 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 46.92% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Sonic Automotive

In other Sonic Automotive news, President Jeff Dyke sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.76, for a total value of $851,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 161,622 shares in the company, valued at $9,173,664.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Sonic Automotive news, President Jeff Dyke sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.76, for a total value of $851,400.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 161,622 shares in the company, valued at $9,173,664.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Heath Byrd sold 19,827 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total transaction of $1,189,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 173,618 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,417,080. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 167,396 shares of company stock worth $9,863,864 over the last quarter. 40.95% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Sonic Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 14th. Sonic Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.59%.

About Sonic Automotive

Sonic Automotive, Inc operates as an automotive retailer in the United States. It operates in three segments, Franchised Dealerships, EchoPark, and Powersports. The Franchised Dealerships segment is involved in the sale of new and used cars and light trucks, and replacement parts; provision of vehicle maintenance, manufacturer warranty repair, and paint and collision repair services; and arrangement of extended warranties, service contracts, financing, insurance, and other aftermarket products for its guests.