Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Analysts

Shares of Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) have received an average rating of “Reduce” from the four brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $53.40.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on SAH shares. TheStreet raised shares of Sonic Automotive from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sonic Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th.

Sonic Automotive Trading Down 1.2 %

NYSE:SAH opened at $48.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $52.89 and a 200-day moving average of $51.62. The company has a market cap of $1.63 billion, a PE ratio of 9.67 and a beta of 1.82. Sonic Automotive has a one year low of $39.02 and a one year high of $60.24.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $3.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. Sonic Automotive had a return on equity of 28.06% and a net margin of 1.24%. The company’s revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.61 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Sonic Automotive will post 5.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sonic Automotive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Sonic Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.14%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of Sonic Automotive by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 12,348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $695,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sonic Automotive by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. FMR LLC now owns 29,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,587,000 after buying an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Sonic Automotive by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 5,720 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,000 after buying an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in shares of Sonic Automotive by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,486 shares of the company’s stock valued at $501,000 after buying an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Sonic Automotive by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 9,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $539,000 after buying an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. 46.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.