Geode Capital Management LLC Has $21.06 Million Holdings in Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH)

Geode Capital Management LLC cut its position in Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 332,376 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,266 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 0.97% of Sonic Automotive worth $21,061,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in SAH. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Sonic Automotive by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,557,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,658,000 after purchasing an additional 20,058 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Sonic Automotive by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 132,106 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,369,000 after purchasing an additional 14,600 shares during the period. Denali Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Sonic Automotive by 111.2% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 87,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,518,000 after buying an additional 45,857 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Sonic Automotive by 52.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 80,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,129,000 after buying an additional 27,726 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Sonic Automotive by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 71,051 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,501,000 after buying an additional 2,212 shares during the period. 46.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sonic Automotive Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE SAH opened at $58.87 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.53 and a beta of 1.43. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $63.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.04. Sonic Automotive, Inc. has a 12 month low of $47.82 and a 12 month high of $76.78.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.05. Sonic Automotive had a net margin of 1.52% and a return on equity of 19.96%. On average, analysts predict that Sonic Automotive, Inc. will post 6.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sonic Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Sonic Automotive’s payout ratio is 22.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on SAH shares. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on Sonic Automotive from $100.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Sonic Automotive from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Sonic Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price objective on Sonic Automotive from $83.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sonic Automotive presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.80.

Sonic Automotive Company Profile

Sonic Automotive, Inc operates as an automotive retailer in the United States. It operates in three segments, Franchised Dealerships, EchoPark, and Powersports. The Franchised Dealerships segment is involved in the sale of new and used cars and light trucks, and replacement parts; provision of vehicle maintenance, manufacturer warranty repair, and paint and collision repair services; and arrangement of extended warranties, service contracts, financing, insurance, and other aftermarket products for its guests.