Gotham Asset Management LLC Makes New Investment in Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH)

Gotham Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 4,546 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $288,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Sonic Automotive by 515.4% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of Sonic Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Sonic Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at about $72,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its position in shares of Sonic Automotive by 1,429.7% during the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 1,545 shares of the company's stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 1,444 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of Sonic Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at about $185,000. 46.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SAH has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup initiated coverage on Sonic Automotive in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $64.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Sonic Automotive from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on Sonic Automotive from $93.00 to $74.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen raised Sonic Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Stephens boosted their price target on Sonic Automotive from $83.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $69.83.

Sonic Automotive Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE SAH traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $67.17. 159,479 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 192,617. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.87 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The company's 50 day moving average price is $61.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $65.41. Sonic Automotive, Inc. has a 12 month low of $51.27 and a 12 month high of $76.78.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.47 billion. Sonic Automotive had a return on equity of 19.96% and a net margin of 1.52%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.36 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Sonic Automotive, Inc. will post 6.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sonic Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Sonic Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.94%.

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.