Seaport Res Ptn Has Bullish Estimate for SAH Q1 Earnings

Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Seaport Res Ptn upped their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for Sonic Automotive in a research report issued on Sunday, April 20th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst G. Chin now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $1.33 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.26. The consensus estimate for Sonic Automotive's current full-year earnings is $6.14 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Sonic Automotive's Q2 2025 earnings at $1.45 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.44 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.78 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $6.66 EPS.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.47 billion. Sonic Automotive had a net margin of 1.52% and a return on equity of 19.96%.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on SAH. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Sonic Automotive in a research report on Wednesday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $64.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Sonic Automotive from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Sonic Automotive from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on shares of Sonic Automotive from $93.00 to $74.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Stephens upped their target price on shares of Sonic Automotive from $83.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sonic Automotive has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $69.83.

Sonic Automotive Stock Performance

SAH traded up $0.16 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $60.28. 254,523 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 193,687. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.75 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The company's fifty day moving average price is $61.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.30. Sonic Automotive has a 52-week low of $51.27 and a 52-week high of $76.78.

Sonic Automotive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Sonic Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 44.4% during the 1st quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 6,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $370,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 266.1% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,096 shares of the company's stock valued at $803,000 after purchasing an additional 10,246 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 11.8% during the 1st quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 62,994 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,588,000 after purchasing an additional 6,633 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Sonic Automotive by 6,802.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 11,734 shares of the company's stock valued at $668,000 after buying an additional 11,564 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Phocas Financial Corp. lifted its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 86.6% in the 4th quarter. Phocas Financial Corp. now owns 116,343 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,370,000 after acquiring an additional 54,008 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 46.92% of the company's stock.

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.