Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC Invests $760,000 in Sonic Automotive, Inc. $SAH

Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new stake in Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 9,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $760,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in Sonic Automotive by 992.5% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 437 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sonic Automotive during the 3rd quarter worth about $109,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sonic Automotive in the second quarter worth approximately $168,000. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Sonic Automotive in the second quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Finally, Creative Planning acquired a new position in Sonic Automotive during the second quarter worth approximately $213,000. 46.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sonic Automotive Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:SAH opened at $62.35 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.85 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a 50 day moving average of $63.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $71.67. Sonic Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.00 and a 52-week high of $89.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.82 by ($0.41). The firm had revenue of $3.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.59 billion. Sonic Automotive had a net margin of 0.86% and a return on equity of 21.65%. Sonic Automotive’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.26 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Sonic Automotive, Inc. will post 6.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sonic Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. Sonic Automotive’s payout ratio is presently 41.08%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SAH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $68.00 price target on shares of Sonic Automotive in a report on Monday, December 8th. Citigroup upgraded Sonic Automotive from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Barclays assumed coverage on Sonic Automotive in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $71.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Sonic Automotive in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Sonic Automotive from $70.00 to $67.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $79.88.

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.