Gotham Asset Management LLC Invests $288,000 in Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH)

Gotham Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 4,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $288,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 515.4% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in Sonic Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $51,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Sonic Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $72,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd boosted its stake in Sonic Automotive by 1,429.7% during the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 1,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 1,444 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in Sonic Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at $185,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 46.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SAH has been the topic of a number of research reports. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on Sonic Automotive from $93.00 to $74.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Sonic Automotive from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Stephens boosted their target price on Sonic Automotive from $83.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup began coverage on Sonic Automotive in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $64.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Sonic Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.83.

Sonic Automotive Price Performance

NYSE SAH opened at $68.88 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $61.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $65.27. The company has a market cap of $2.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.15 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.35. Sonic Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $51.27 and a 1 year high of $76.78.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.47 billion. Sonic Automotive had a return on equity of 19.96% and a net margin of 1.52%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.36 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Sonic Automotive, Inc. will post 6.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Sonic Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Sonic Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.94%.

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.