Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by ($0.17), Zacks reports. Sonic Automotive had a net margin of 1.35% and a return on equity of 25.31%. The business had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.55 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.02 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Sonic Automotive Stock Down 1.0 %

SAH opened at $56.87 on Friday. Sonic Automotive has a 1-year low of $46.33 and a 1-year high of $64.68. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $57.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $56.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04. The company has a market capitalization of $1.94 billion, a PE ratio of 10.52 and a beta of 1.60.

Sonic Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.46%. This is a positive change from Sonic Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Sonic Automotive’s payout ratio is 22.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SAH has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive from $67.00 to $66.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley raised Sonic Automotive from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $40.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Stephens initiated coverage on Sonic Automotive in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $64.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Sonic Automotive from $63.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on Sonic Automotive from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sonic Automotive has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.50.

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.