Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) Announces $0.41 Quarterly Dividend

Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, July 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of 0.41 per share on Thursday, October 15th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th.

Sonic Automotive has raised its dividend by an average of 0.3%annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 4 years. Sonic Automotive has a dividend payout ratio of 23.5% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Sonic Automotive to earn $7.53 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 21.8%.

Sonic Automotive Price Performance

NYSE:SAH opened at $100.89 on Friday. Sonic Automotive has a one year low of $54.11 and a one year high of $113.67. The stock has a market cap of $3.19 billion, a PE ratio of 32.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $88.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $73.83.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $3.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.78 billion. Sonic Automotive had a return on equity of 22.45% and a net margin of 0.72%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.19 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Sonic Automotive will post 6.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Sonic Automotive

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.