New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Makes New $1.31 Million Investment in Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH)

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 20,691 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,311,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC owned about 0.06% of Sonic Automotive as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Denali Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 111.2% in the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 87,100 shares of the company's stock worth $5,518,000 after purchasing an additional 45,857 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Sonic Automotive by 52.1% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Sonic Automotive by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,557,344 shares of the company's stock worth $98,658,000 after buying an additional 20,058 shares during the last quarter. Walleye Capital LLC lifted its stake in Sonic Automotive by 245.6% during the 3rd quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 28,210 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,650,000 after acquiring an additional 20,047 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 346.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 24,413 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,427,000 after acquiring an additional 18,940 shares during the last quarter. 46.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Sonic Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of SAH stock traded up $1.98 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $59.84. 224,306 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 190,779. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a PE ratio of 9.68 and a beta of 1.70. Sonic Automotive, Inc. has a 12 month low of $47.82 and a 12 month high of $76.78. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $67.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.06.

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

Sonic Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Sonic Automotive's dividend payout ratio is 22.65%.

About Sonic Automotive

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.