Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) Shares Set to Pay Quarterly Dividend of $0.41

Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, October 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.41 per share on Friday, January 15th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 15th.

Sonic Automotive has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.3% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 4 consecutive years. Sonic Automotive has a payout ratio of 23.5% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Sonic Automotive to earn $7.07 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.64 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 23.2%.

Sonic Automotive Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE:SAH traded up $0.35 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $63.48. The company had a trading volume of 480,110 shares, compared to its average volume of 287,997. The company has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a PE ratio of 10.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $68.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $73.10. Sonic Automotive has a 52 week low of $54.11 and a 52 week high of $113.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.25.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.66 by ($0.36). Sonic Automotive had a return on equity of 20.75% and a net margin of 1.37%. The company had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.41 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Sonic Automotive will post 6.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Sonic Automotive

Sonic Automotive, Inc is a U.S.-based automotive retailer headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company operates franchised dealerships that sell new and pre-owned vehicles from a range of automobile manufacturers, along with related automotive products and services.

Its dealership operations provide vehicle financing and insurance products, maintenance and repair services, replacement parts, and collision-repair services. Sonic Automotive also operates EchoPark Automotive, a used-vehicle business focused on offering pre-owned vehicles and related finance and service products through dedicated retail locations.

Founded in 1997 by automotive entrepreneur O.