New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 20,691 Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH)

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 20,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,311,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC owned 0.06% of Sonic Automotive as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Sonic Automotive by 515.4% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. grew its position in Sonic Automotive by 100.3% during the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,196 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Sonic Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $72,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in Sonic Automotive in the 4th quarter worth approximately $185,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sonic Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at $244,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 46.92% of the company’s stock.

Sonic Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SAH opened at $54.93 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $68.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.03. 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 52 week low of $47.82 and a 52 week high of $76.78. The firm has a market cap of $1.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.89 and a beta of 1.70.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.05. Sonic Automotive had a net margin of 1.52% and a return on equity of 19.96%. As a group, equities research analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Sonic Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on SAH shares. StockNews.com lowered Sonic Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 24th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on Sonic Automotive from $100.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Sonic Automotive from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Stephens raised their price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive from $83.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.80.

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.