Sonic Automotive, Inc. $SAH Shares Purchased by Public Sector Pension Investment Board

Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) by 39.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 68,842 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,483 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board owned about 0.20% of Sonic Automotive worth $5,238,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of SAH. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in Sonic Automotive by 992.5% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 437 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in Sonic Automotive by 5.8% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 8,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $504,000 after acquiring an additional 483 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Sonic Automotive by 7.1% in the third quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 7,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $584,000 after acquiring an additional 507 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 4.3% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 15,413 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,173,000 after purchasing an additional 642 shares during the last quarter. 46.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sonic Automotive Price Performance

Shares of SAH opened at $64.56 on Friday. Sonic Automotive, Inc. has a one year low of $52.00 and a one year high of $89.62. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $62.58 and its 200-day moving average is $68.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.04 and a beta of 0.93.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last announced its earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $3.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.94 billion. Sonic Automotive had a net margin of 0.78% and a return on equity of 21.56%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.51 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Sonic Automotive, Inc. will post 6.14 EPS for the current year.

Sonic Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid 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 is Friday, March 13th. Sonic Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.08%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stephens reduced their price objective on Sonic Automotive from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Barclays cut their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target 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. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sonic Automotive from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $68.00 target price on shares of Sonic Automotive in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sonic Automotive has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $77.75.

Sonic Automotive News Roundup

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Paul P. Rusnak bought 11,481 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $59.95 per share, for a total transaction of $688,285.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,100,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $305,745,000. This trade represents a 0.23% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders purchased a total of 100,000 shares of company stock worth $5,994,472 over the last quarter. 42.65% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.