Paul Rusnak Acquires 1,931 Shares of Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) Stock

Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) major shareholder Paul Rusnak bought 1,931 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $59.98 per share, for a total transaction of $115,821.38. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 5,028,496 shares in the company, valued at approximately $301,609,190.08. The trade was a 0.04% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Sonic Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of SAH opened at $64.56 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $62.58 and a 200 day moving average of $68.89. The company has a market capitalization of $2.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.04 and a beta of 0.93. Sonic Automotive, Inc. has a 12 month low of $52.00 and a 12 month high of $89.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.51 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Sonic Automotive, Inc. will post 6.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Sonic Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Sonic Automotive’s payout ratio is currently 41.08%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sonic Automotive

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Sonic Automotive by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,646,450 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,278,000 after purchasing an additional 96,836 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Sonic Automotive by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 701,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,623,000 after buying an additional 62,426 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Sonic Automotive by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 510,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,608,000 after buying an additional 54,455 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Sonic Automotive by 20.5% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 383,117 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,151,000 after buying an additional 65,266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Sonic Automotive by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 375,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,204,000 after acquiring an additional 4,443 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 46.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Sonic Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 11th. Barclays lowered 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. cut their price target on Sonic Automotive from $70.00 to $67.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Zacks Research upgraded Sonic Automotive from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Sonic Automotive in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $77.75.

Key Stories Impacting Sonic Automotive

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

• Positive Sentiment: Major insider accumulation — Paul P. Rusnak bought roughly 100,000 shares across multiple mid‑February trades (raising his stake to ~5.1M shares). Large, repeated purchases by a controlling shareholder signal confidence and can underpin the stock. SEC Filing: Insider Purchases
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend announced — Sonic declared a $0.38 quarterly dividend (ex‑dividend March 13; payable April 15), implying a ~2.4% yield and a ~41% payout ratio, which can attract income investors and provide some downside support.
• Positive Sentiment: Record gross profit — Management highlighted record gross profit for Q4, which supports a constructive margin narrative despite top‑line pressure. Investing.com: Record Gross Profit
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings materials available — Full call slide deck and transcript are posted; analysts will parse F&I, used‑vehicle and inventory commentary for guidance changes. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain mixed — Stephens trimmed its price target slightly to $67 (equal‑weight) while Needham reaffirmed a Buy with a $90 target; differing analyst stances add to short‑term volatility. The Fly: PT change
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 slightly missed expectations — Sonic reported $1.52 EPS (vs. $1.53 consensus) and revenue $3.87B (vs. ~$3.94B consensus); revenue declined ~0.6% YoY and net margin stayed slim, which prompted the share gap‑down reaction. Zacks: Q4 Miss AmericanBankingNews: Shares Gap Down

About Sonic Automotive

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.