Tudor Investment Corp ET AL Sells 54,742 Shares of Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH)

Tudor Investment Corp ET AL decreased its position in Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH - Free Report) by 64.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,244 shares of the company's stock after selling 54,742 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL owned about 0.09% of Sonic Automotive worth $1,916,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Denali Advisors LLC increased its stake in Sonic Automotive by 111.2% in the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 87,100 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,518,000 after acquiring an additional 45,857 shares during the period. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Sonic Automotive by 105.2% during the fourth quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 58,526 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,708,000 after purchasing an additional 30,002 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Sonic Automotive by 52.1% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 80,957 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,129,000 after purchasing an additional 27,726 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sonic Automotive in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,311,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,557,344 shares of the company's stock worth $98,658,000 after buying an additional 20,058 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 46.92% of the company's stock.

Sonic Automotive Price Performance

SAH traded down $0.55 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $64.90. The company had a trading volume of 132,935 shares, compared to its average volume of 192,623. Sonic Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.27 and a twelve month high of $76.78. The company has a market capitalization of $2.20 billion, a PE ratio of 10.50 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 1.09. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $60.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.74.

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

Sonic Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Sonic Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on SAH. Citigroup assumed coverage on Sonic Automotive in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $64.00 price target on the stock. 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. 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 research report on Thursday, April 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sonic Automotive from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $69.83.

Sonic Automotive Profile

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.