Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) Given New $96.00 Price Target at Needham & Company LLC

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) had its price target decreased by Needham & Company LLC from $139.00 to $96.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. Needham & Company LLC currently has a buy rating on the stock.

SAH has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Stephens set a $89.00 price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive in a report on Monday, July 13th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Sonic Automotive from $72.00 to $57.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 5th. Weiss Ratings lowered Sonic Automotive from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday. Seaport Research Partners downgraded shares of Sonic Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Sonic Automotive from $72.00 to $64.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $84.75.

Sonic Automotive Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE SAH opened at $62.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The company has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.92. Sonic Automotive has a 12 month low of $54.11 and a 12 month high of $113.67. The company has a 50-day moving average of $67.83 and a 200-day moving average of $73.09.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by ($0.36). Sonic Automotive had a net margin of 1.33% and a return on equity of 20.23%. The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. Sonic Automotive’s revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sonic Automotive will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Sonic Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 15th. Sonic Automotive’s payout ratio is 26.16%.

Insider Transactions at Sonic Automotive

In other Sonic Automotive news, major shareholder Paul P. Rusnak purchased 27,756 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $59.76 per share, with a total value of $1,658,698.56. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 5,149,401 shares in the company, valued at $307,728,203.76. This trade represents a 0.54% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders acquired 76,776 shares of company stock worth $4,584,694. Insiders own 43.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Sonic Automotive by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,313,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $90,088,000 after purchasing an additional 48,599 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Sonic Automotive by 64.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 131,302 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,003,000 after acquiring an additional 51,420 shares in the last quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sonic Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at about $8,450,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in shares of Sonic Automotive by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 88,126 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,043,000 after purchasing an additional 9,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sonic Automotive in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,799,000. 46.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Sonic Automotive News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Needham & Company maintained a Buy rating and set a $96 price target, implying substantial upside from recent levels. However, the target was reduced from $139, signaling more cautious expectations. Needham analyst rating
• Positive Sentiment: Sonic Automotive declared a quarterly dividend of $0.41 per share, or $1.64 annualized, representing an approximately 2.6% yield. The dividend is payable January 15, 2027, to shareholders of record as of December 15, 2026. Dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: The company expects EchoPark’s fourth-quarter adjusted EBITDA to be $2 million to $4 million while launching a $5 million to $7 million brand investment. The spending could support longer-term growth but may weigh on near-term profitability. EchoPark outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted earnings were $1.30 per share, $0.36 below the $1.66 consensus estimate and down from $1.41 a year earlier. Revenue of $3.99 billion also fell short of the $4.03 billion estimate and grew only 0.4% year over year, weighing on investor sentiment. Third-quarter earnings miss

Sonic Automotive Company Profile

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.