Insider Buying: Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) Major Shareholder Purchases $688,635.51 in Stock

Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) major shareholder Paul Rusnak acquired 11,483 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $59.97 per share, with a total value of $688,635.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 5,039,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $302,247,540.63. This trade represents a 0.23% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Sonic Automotive Price Performance

SAH stock opened at $66.56 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The firm has a market cap of $2.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.63 and a beta of 0.93. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $62.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $68.86. Sonic Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $52.00 and a 12-month high of $89.62.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $3.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.94 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.51 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Sonic Automotive, Inc. will post 6.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Sonic Automotive Announces Dividend

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

More Sonic Automotive News

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Sonic Automotive from $70.00 to $67.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Stephens cut 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Sonic Automotive in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised Sonic Automotive from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $77.75.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Sonic Automotive by 124.9% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 355,328 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,239,000 after buying an additional 197,336 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Sonic Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at $7,384,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Sonic Automotive during the 3rd quarter valued at $7,450,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Sonic Automotive by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,646,450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,278,000 after purchasing an additional 96,836 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sonic Automotive during the 2nd quarter worth $6,564,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 46.92% of the company’s stock.

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.