Paul Rusnak Buys 48,540 Shares of Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) Stock

Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) major shareholder Paul Rusnak acquired 48,540 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $59.92 per share, with a total value of $2,908,516.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,088,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $304,904,058.48. This trade represents a 0.96% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Sonic Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of Sonic Automotive stock opened at $64.56 on Friday. Sonic Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $52.00 and a 52 week high of $89.62. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $62.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.89. The firm has a market cap of $2.21 billion, a PE ratio of 19.04 and a beta of 0.93. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.01). Sonic Automotive had a return on equity of 21.56% and a net margin of 0.78%.The business had revenue of $3.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.51 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Sonic Automotive, Inc. will post 6.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Sonic Automotive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. Sonic Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.08%.

Institutional Trading of Sonic Automotive

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Sonic Automotive by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,646,450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,278,000 after purchasing an additional 96,836 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 701,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,623,000 after acquiring an additional 62,426 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Sonic Automotive by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 510,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,608,000 after acquiring an additional 54,455 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 383,117 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,151,000 after acquiring an additional 65,266 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 375,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,204,000 after acquiring an additional 4,443 shares during the period. 46.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on SAH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Sonic Automotive from $70.00 to $67.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Sonic Automotive in a report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Sonic Automotive from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $68.00 price objective on Sonic Automotive in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sonic Automotive from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $77.75.

More Sonic Automotive News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large insider accumulation — Paul P. Rusnak bought multiple blocks of shares in February (totaling tens of thousands across filings), increasing his stake to ~5.1M shares; repeated buys from a major holder tend to support sentiment. SEC Filing: Insider Purchases
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — Sonic announced a quarterly dividend of $0.38/share (ex-dividend March 13; payable April 15), implying a ~2.4% yield and a ~41% payout ratio that can attract income-oriented buyers.
• Positive Sentiment: Record gross profit flagged on the call — Management highlighted record gross profit in Q4, supporting a margin-recovery narrative despite top-line pressure. Investing.com: Record Gross Profit
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings materials available — Slides and the full earnings call transcript are posted for deeper analysis of F&I, used-vehicle trends and inventory; analysts will parse these for guidance and margin drivers. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst mix — Needham reaffirmed a Buy and a $90 target (large upside vs. current levels), showing bullish conviction from some desks. Benzinga: Needham Reaffirmation
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 slight miss — Sonic reported $1.52 EPS (missed consensus by $0.01) and revenues of $3.87B (below estimates ~ $3.94B), with revenue down ~0.6% YoY and low net margins (~0.9%); this gives short-term bearish talking points on demand. Zacks: Q4 Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Price-target trim by Stephens — Stephens cut its target to $67 and set an Equal Weight rating, which is a near-term headwind for sentiment versus higher targets. The Fly: Stephens Cut

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.