Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $67.20.

SAH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $74.00 price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Sonic Automotive from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Bank of America cut their price target on Sonic Automotive from $67.00 to $66.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 14th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Sonic Automotive from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Sonic Automotive from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $40.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Sonic Automotive in the 4th quarter worth about $244,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 56,361 shares of the company's stock worth $3,570,000 after purchasing an additional 978 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Sonic Automotive by 68.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 53,231 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,113,000 after buying an additional 21,650 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sonic Automotive by 6.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,643 shares of the company's stock valued at $530,000 after buying an additional 609 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its position in Sonic Automotive by 346.1% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 24,413 shares of the company's stock worth $1,427,000 after buying an additional 18,940 shares in the last quarter. 46.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sonic Automotive Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of SAH stock traded up $0.06 on Friday, reaching $68.39. The company had a trading volume of 146,398 shares, compared to its average volume of 117,849. The stock has a market cap of $2.34 billion, a PE ratio of 12.17 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a 50-day moving average of $65.64 and a 200-day moving average of $60.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. Sonic Automotive has a 12 month low of $47.82 and a 12 month high of $70.88.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.43 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $3.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.55 billion. Sonic Automotive had a net margin of 1.41% and a return on equity of 21.27%. Sonic Automotive's quarterly revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.02 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Sonic Automotive will post 5.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Sonic Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a $0.35 dividend. This is a boost from Sonic Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. Sonic Automotive's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.91%.

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.