Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) Stock: Insider Paul Rusnak Buys 1,119 Shares

Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) major shareholder Paul Rusnak purchased 1,119 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $59.90 per share, with a total value of $67,028.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 5,150,520 shares in the company, valued at $308,516,148. The trade was a 0.02% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Sonic Automotive Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of SAH opened at $61.40 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.79, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.92. Sonic Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.11 and a twelve month high of $113.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $74.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $78.22.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $3.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.78 billion. Sonic Automotive had a net margin of 1.37% and a return on equity of 20.75%. The company’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 earned $2.19 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sonic Automotive, Inc. will post 6.81 EPS for the current year.

Sonic Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Sonic Automotive’s payout ratio is currently 26.16%.

More Sonic Automotive News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Major shareholder Paul Rusnak bought 21,645 shares for approximately $1.29 million on October 1, 27,756 shares for about $1.66 million on October 5, and another 1,119 shares for roughly $67,000 on October 6. The purchases increased his already substantial position to more than 5.15 million shares and may signal confidence that SAH is undervalued after its decline. Insider buying report
• Positive Sentiment: UBS maintained a “Buy” rating on Sonic Automotive, suggesting it still sees potential upside despite reducing its price target to $74 from $107. The continued Buy rating may help support the shares. UBS price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Sonic Automotive scheduled its third-quarter 2026 earnings release for October 29 before the market opens, followed by a management conference call. Investors will be watching dealership demand, used-vehicle trends, margins, and guidance for signs that the recent weakness is temporary. Third-quarter earnings announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays retained its “Hold” rating, underscoring the mixed analyst view on SAH. The lack of broad conviction could limit gains until the company reports its next results. Barclays rating
• Negative Sentiment: UBS’s large price-target reduction, despite retaining its Buy rating, signals that analysts have lowered their assumptions for Sonic Automotive’s earnings or valuation. This offsets some of the benefit from the insider purchases.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on SAH shares. Seaport Research Partners cut Sonic Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $205.00 in a report on Friday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Sonic Automotive from $72.00 to $64.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Sonic Automotive from $72.00 to $57.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Sonic Automotive from $91.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive from $90.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Sonic Automotive has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $90.12.

Institutional Trading of Sonic Automotive

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Sonic Automotive in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $88,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Sonic Automotive during the first quarter valued at approximately $79,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its stake in Sonic Automotive by 15.5% in the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,550 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Sonic Automotive in the second quarter worth $208,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Sonic Automotive by 2,981.1% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 3,935 shares in the last quarter. 46.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Sonic Automotive

Sonic Automotive, Inc is an automotive retailer headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company operates franchised dealerships that sell new and used cars and light trucks from a range of manufacturers, along with related automotive products and services.

Its dealership operations provide vehicle financing and insurance products, parts and maintenance services, collision repair, and other after-sales support. Sonic Automotive also operates EchoPark Automotive, a used-vehicle retail business focused on providing a broad selection of pre-owned vehicles and related services.

Founded in 1997 by automotive entrepreneur O.