What is Seaport Res Ptn's Forecast for SAH Q3 Earnings?

Key Points

• Seaport Res Ptn raised its Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimate for Sonic Automotive to $1.70, an increase from the previous forecast of $1.53.
• The company also announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.38, up from $0.35, reflecting an annualized payout of $1.52 and a yield of 1.9%.
• Institutional investors own 46.92% of Sonic Automotive's stock, with notable changes in holdings from major firms like JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Company.

Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH - Free Report) - Seaport Res Ptn upped their Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Sonic Automotive in a research note issued on Monday, August 11th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst G. Chin now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $1.70 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.53. 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 Q4 2025 earnings at $1.92 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $7.19 EPS.

SAH has been the subject of a number of other reports. Stephens downgraded shares of Sonic Automotive from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $72.00 to $82.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Sonic Automotive from $76.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $72.00 price objective (up previously from $65.00) on shares of Sonic Automotive in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Sonic Automotive from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $79.86.

Sonic Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SAH traded down $0.36 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $78.96. 285,140 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 268,128. Sonic Automotive has a 12 month low of $52.00 and a 12 month high of $89.62. The firm has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a PE ratio of 17.55 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $79.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $70.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $2.19 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.47 earnings per share. Sonic Automotive's quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SAH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Sonic Automotive by 52.1% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 80,957 shares of the company's stock worth $5,129,000 after purchasing an additional 27,726 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its holdings in Sonic Automotive by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 21,870 shares of the company's stock worth $1,385,000 after purchasing an additional 2,968 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 42,401 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,686,000 after buying an additional 2,967 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 50.8% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 36,807 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,332,000 after buying an additional 12,394 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sonic Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $225,000. 46.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Sonic Automotive

In related news, President Jeff Dyke sold 576 shares of Sonic Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total value of $40,331.52. Following the sale, the president owned 605,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $42,389,617.86. The trade was a 0.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 50,000 shares of company stock valued at $3,502,062. Insiders own 42.65% of the company's stock.

Sonic Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.38 dividend. This is a boost from Sonic Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. 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%. Sonic Automotive's payout ratio is presently 31.11%.

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.