Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) Shares Sold by AlphaQuest LLC

AlphaQuest LLC trimmed its holdings in Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) by 77.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,906 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,602 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Sonic Automotive were worth $121,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 515.4% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 100.3% in the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,196 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Sonic Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $72,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sonic Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $244,000. Finally, Pacific Global Investment Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Pacific Global Investment Management Co. now owns 4,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. 46.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SAH has been the subject of several analyst reports. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Sonic Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Sonic Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on Sonic Automotive from $74.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Sonic Automotive from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Stephens upped their price target on Sonic Automotive from $83.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sonic Automotive has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $79.20.

Sonic Automotive Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE:SAH opened at $59.77 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $69.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.67 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 1.09. Sonic Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $47.82 and a 1 year high of $76.78.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.05. Sonic Automotive had a return on equity of 19.96% and a net margin of 1.52%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sonic Automotive, Inc. will post 6.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sonic Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Sonic Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.65%.

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.