What is Seaport Res Ptn's Estimate 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) - Research analysts at Seaport Res Ptn raised their FY2025 earnings estimates for shares of Sonic Automotive in a research note issued to investors on Monday, August 11th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst G. Chin now forecasts that the company will earn $7.29 per share 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.

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

SAH has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Stephens lowered Sonic Automotive from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $72.00 to $82.00 in a report on Thursday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an "underweight" rating and set a $72.00 price target (up previously from $65.00) on shares of Sonic Automotive in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Sonic Automotive from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. 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 for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Sonic Automotive from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $77.86.

Sonic Automotive Price Performance

Sonic Automotive stock opened at $79.65 on Thursday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $78.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.08. Sonic Automotive has a 1 year low of $52.00 and a 1 year high of $89.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.72 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.

Sonic Automotive Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Sonic Automotive

In related news, President Jeff Dyke sold 576 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total transaction of $40,331.52. Following the transaction, the president owned 605,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at $42,389,617.86. This represents a 0.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders sold a total of 50,000 shares of company stock worth $3,502,062 in the last three months. 42.65% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sonic Automotive

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Voya Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 7,451 shares of the company's stock valued at $424,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,509 shares of the company's stock valued at $362,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC now owns 23,141 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,850,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 8,370 shares of the company's stock valued at $530,000 after acquiring an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 992.5% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 437 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. 46.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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