Sonic Automotive (SAH) Projected to Post Earnings on Thursday

Key Points

• Sonic Automotive will report Q1 2026 results before the market opens on Thursday, April 30; analysts expect $1.70 EPS and $3.8386 billion in revenue.
• The company slightly missed the prior quarter (reported $1.52 vs. $1.53 consensus) and holds a consensus analyst rating of Hold with an average price target of $77.50.
• Sonic pays a quarterly dividend of $0.38 (annualized yield ~2.1%), and major shareholder Paul P. Rusnak recently bought 11,481 shares, raising his stake to about 5.1 million shares.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH - Get Free Report) is anticipated to release its Q1 2026 results before the market opens on Thursday, April 30th. Analysts expect Sonic Automotive to post earnings of $1.70 per share and revenue of $3.8386 billion for the quarter. Interested persons may review the information on the company's upcoming Q1 2026 earning report for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 11:00 AM ET.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.01). Sonic Automotive had a net margin of 0.78% and a return on equity of 21.54%. The company had revenue of $3.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.51 EPS. Sonic Automotive's quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect Sonic Automotive to post $7 EPS for the current fiscal year and $7 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Sonic Automotive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SAH opened at $70.95 on Thursday. Sonic Automotive has a 1 year low of $54.11 and a 1 year high of $89.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The company's 50-day moving average is $64.08 and its 200 day moving average is $64.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.82.

Sonic Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. Sonic Automotive's dividend payout ratio is 44.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on SAH. Stephens dropped their target price on shares of Sonic Automotive from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Barclays set a $67.00 price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Sonic Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $77.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Paul P. Rusnak acquired 11,481 shares of Sonic Automotive stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $59.95 per share, with a total value of $688,285.95. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 5,100,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $305,745,000. This trade represents a 0.23% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have acquired 100,000 shares of company stock valued at $5,994,472 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 43.68% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Sonic Automotive

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Sonic Automotive by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 510,963 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,608,000 after acquiring an additional 54,455 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new position in Sonic Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at $217,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Sonic Automotive by 145.5% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 79,882 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,942,000 after acquiring an additional 47,341 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Sonic Automotive by 48.6% during the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 101,224 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,262,000 after acquiring an additional 33,088 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Numerai GP LLC purchased a new position in Sonic Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at $343,000. 46.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sonic Automotive Company Profile

Sonic Automotive, Inc is a publicly traded automotive retailer that operates a network of franchised new-car dealerships and used-vehicle dealerships across the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company offers a range of services that include vehicle sales, leasing, finance and insurance products, service and parts, and collision repair. Sonic Automotive's dealerships represent numerous major automotive brands, and the company also markets a broad selection of pre-owned vehicles under its own banner.

In addition to its core dealership operations, Sonic Automotive has developed digital retail capabilities that allow customers to research, shop and complete transactions online.

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