Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $67.20.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on SAH shares. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Sonic Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $74.00 target price on shares of Sonic Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Sonic Automotive from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Bank of America dropped 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 report on Monday, October 14th.

Sonic Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE:SAH opened at $69.16 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.36 billion, a PE ratio of 12.31 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.11 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $65.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.82.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.26 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%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.02 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Sonic Automotive will post 5.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Sonic Automotive

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Sonic Automotive by 100.3% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,196 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Sonic Automotive during the fourth quarter worth $72,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd raised its position in Sonic Automotive by 6.9% during the second quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 2,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sonic Automotive in the second quarter valued at $228,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Sonic Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at about $244,000. 46.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.