Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) Major Shareholder Buys $688,285.95 in Stock

Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) major shareholder Paul Rusnak bought 11,481 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $59.95 per share, with a total value of $688,285.95. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 5,100,000 shares in the company, valued at $305,745,000. This trade represents a 0.23% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Sonic Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of SAH stock opened at $66.56 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.63 and a beta of 0.93. Sonic Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $52.00 and a fifty-two week high of $89.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.02. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $62.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.86.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.01). Sonic Automotive had a return on equity of 21.56% and a net margin of 0.78%.The firm had revenue of $3.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.51 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Sonic Automotive, Inc. will post 6.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Sonic Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Sonic Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is 44.84%.

Sonic Automotive News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Sonic Automotive this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Large insider accumulation — Major shareholder Paul P. Rusnak bought tens of thousands of shares in multiple transactions in February, raising his stake to roughly ~5.1M shares; repeated insider purchases at ~\$60 signal board-level confidence and likely supported buying interest. SEC Filing: Insider Purchases
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — Sonic announced a quarterly dividend of $0.38/share (ex-dividend March 13; payable April 15), implying a ~2.4% yield and a ~41% payout ratio, which can attract income-focused investors and help support the share price.
• Positive Sentiment: Record gross profit highlighted — Management pointed to record gross profit in Q4, suggesting operational improvements that could underwrite margin recovery if sustained. Investing.com: Record Gross Profit
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings materials available — The Q4 call transcript and slides were posted for deeper review (F&I, EchoPark/used-vehicle trends and inventory commentary are areas analysts will parse for guidance changes). Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain mixed — Needham reaffirmed a buy and a $90 target while Stephens trimmed its target to $67 and is at equal weight; mixed research keeps near-term consensus ambiguous and can amplify volatility. The Fly: PT Change
• Negative Sentiment: Slight Q4 miss and revenue pressure — Q4 EPS of $1.52 missed consensus by $0.01 and revenue of $3.87B trailed estimates (~$3.94B); revenue fell ~0.6% YoY and net margin remained thin, giving short-term bears ammunition about demand and margin durability. Zacks: Q4 Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Structural concerns flagged by analysts — Commentary and follow-up pieces note elevated debt levels, tariff exposure and margin risks that could cap the stock’s near-term upside absent clearer sales/margin improvement. Zacks: How to Approach Post-Q4

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sonic Automotive

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SAH. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position 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 worth $362,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in Sonic Automotive by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 15,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $965,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Sonic Automotive by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 14,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $924,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Sonic Automotive by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,577 shares of the company’s stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $177,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 46.92% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SAH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Sonic Automotive from $70.00 to $67.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Sonic Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 11th. Barclays dropped their price target on Sonic Automotive from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Stephens reduced their price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Sonic Automotive from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $77.75.

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.