Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) Given New $139.00 Price Target at Needham & Company LLC

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) had its target price boosted by analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $90.00 to $139.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price target indicates a potential upside of 37.77% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Sonic Automotive from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Barclays raised their price objective on Sonic Automotive from $77.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Zacks Research raised Sonic Automotive from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Sonic Automotive from $91.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners lowered shares of Sonic Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the company from $185.00 to $205.00 in a report on Friday, July 17th. Five equities research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $96.11.

Sonic Automotive Trading Down 10.4%

Sonic Automotive stock opened at $100.89 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $88.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $73.83. Sonic Automotive has a 52 week low of $54.11 and a 52 week high of $113.67. The stock has a market cap of $3.19 billion, a PE ratio of 32.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $3.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.78 billion. Sonic Automotive had a net margin of 0.72% and a return on equity of 22.45%. Sonic Automotive’s revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.19 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Sonic Automotive will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Sonic Automotive

In other Sonic Automotive news, President Jeff Dyke sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.97, for a total transaction of $4,148,500.00. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 111,622 shares in the company, valued at $9,261,277.34. This represents a 30.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 100,000 shares of company stock worth $8,408,160. Corporate insiders own 43.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sonic Automotive

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SAH. A&I Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in Sonic Automotive by 0.9% in the second quarter. A&I Financial Services LLC now owns 11,755 shares of the company’s stock valued at $997,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its position in shares of Sonic Automotive by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 15,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $965,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 14,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $924,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Sonic Automotive by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,577 shares of the company’s stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its stake in Sonic Automotive by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $177,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 46.92% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Sonic Automotive

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

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue increased 7.6% year over year to approximately $3.93 billion, exceeding the $3.78 billion analyst estimate. EPS of $1.82 also topped expectations of $1.75. Sonic Automotive Q2 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Sonic reported record quarterly total gross profit of $616.2 million, up 2% from a year earlier, indicating continued scale and demand despite operating pressures. Sonic Automotive Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.41 per share, payable October 15 to shareholders of record September 15. The annualized payout implies a yield of roughly 1.6%, providing modest shareholder-return support.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s second-quarter earnings call transcript provides additional commentary for investors assessing sales trends, dealership expenses and profitability following the results. Sonic Automotive Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, EPS fell from $2.19 in the year-ago quarter to $1.82. Net margin was only 0.72%, and reports indicated dealership costs undermined profitability. This appears to be the main reason shares encountered selling pressure after the release. Sonic Automotive Shares Turn Negative as Profitability Undermined by Dealership Costs
• Negative Sentiment: At approximately $100.89, SAH trades well above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and near its 12-month high, while its price-to-earnings ratio is about 32. Investors may therefore demand sustained earnings growth, making margin weakness more significant.

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.