Seaport Res Ptn Analysts Raise Earnings Estimates for SAH

Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Seaport Res Ptn increased their Q2 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Sonic Automotive in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, May 12th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst G. Chin now forecasts that the company will earn $1.52 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.45. 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 Q3 2025 earnings at $1.51 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.77 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $6.28 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $6.79 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Stephens boosted their price objective on Sonic Automotive from $83.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on Sonic Automotive from $93.00 to $74.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. StockNews.com upgraded Sonic Automotive from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup began coverage on Sonic Automotive in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $64.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Sonic Automotive from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Two investment 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's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $69.83.

Sonic Automotive Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of Sonic Automotive stock traded up $0.49 during trading on Thursday, reaching $69.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 98,496 shares, compared to its average volume of 192,521. 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 has a market cap of $2.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.21 and a beta of 1.04. Sonic Automotive has a 1-year low of $51.27 and a 1-year high of $76.78. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $60.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.10.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.02. Sonic Automotive had a return on equity of 19.96% and a net margin of 1.52%. The firm had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.36 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Sonic Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Sonic Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Sonic Automotive by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,557,344 shares of the company's stock valued at $98,658,000 after acquiring an additional 20,058 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Sonic Automotive by 52.1% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 80,957 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,129,000 after acquiring an additional 27,726 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of Sonic Automotive by 54.4% in the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 45,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,851,000 after acquiring an additional 15,849 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sonic Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at $244,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Sonic Automotive by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 291,133 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,443,000 after buying an additional 18,232 shares during the last quarter. 46.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.