Research Analysts Offer Predictions for SAH FY2025 Earnings

Key Points

• Seaport Res Ptn has increased its FY2025 earnings estimate for Sonic Automotive, predicting earnings of $7.29 per share, up from a previous estimate of $6.40.
• Sonic Automotive reported $2.19 earnings per share for the last quarter, significantly beating analysts' expectations of $1.63 and marking a 5.9% revenue increase compared to the same quarter last year.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.38 per share, representing an increase from the previous dividend and a yield of 1.9%.

Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH - Free Report) - Analysts at Seaport Res Ptn raised their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for Sonic Automotive in a report released on Monday, August 11th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst G. Chin now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $7.29 for the year, up from their previous estimate of $6.40. The consensus estimate for Sonic Automotive's current full-year earnings is $6.14 per share.

SAH has been the topic of several other research reports. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Stephens cut Sonic Automotive from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $72.00 to $82.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Sonic Automotive from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Wall Street Zen cut Sonic Automotive from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 21st. Finally, Benchmark increased their price objective on Sonic Automotive from $76.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Sonic Automotive has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $79.86.

Sonic Automotive Price Performance

NYSE:SAH traded up $0.69 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $79.03. The stock had a trading volume of 31,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 228,747. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.70 billion, a PE ratio of 17.56 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.03. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $79.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.13. Sonic Automotive has a 52 week low of $52.00 and a 52 week high of $89.62.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $2.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.56. Sonic Automotive had a return on equity of 21.40% and a net margin of 1.07%.The firm had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.47 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sonic Automotive

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SAH. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 124.9% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 355,328 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,239,000 after purchasing an additional 197,336 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 26.2% in the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 641,237 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,525,000 after purchasing an additional 133,044 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sonic Automotive in the first quarter valued at approximately $7,317,000. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sonic Automotive in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,564,000. Finally, HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 111.4% in the first quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 123,724 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,047,000 after purchasing an additional 65,198 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 46.92% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sonic Automotive

In related news, President Jeff Dyke sold 31,152 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.05, for a total value of $2,182,197.60. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 605,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $42,448,128.45. This trade represents a 4.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 50,000 shares of company stock worth $3,502,062. Corporate insiders own 42.65% of the company's stock.

Sonic Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from Sonic Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Sonic Automotive's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.11%.

Sonic Automotive Company 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.