First Eagle Investment Management LLC Has $8.37 Million Stock Position in Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH)

First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) by 12.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 132,106 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,600 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC owned 0.39% of Sonic Automotive worth $8,369,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Phocas Financial Corp. bought a new stake in shares of Sonic Automotive in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,645,000. Denali Advisors LLC boosted its position in Sonic Automotive by 111.2% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 87,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,518,000 after acquiring an additional 45,857 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Sonic Automotive by 68.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 53,231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,113,000 after acquiring an additional 21,650 shares during the last quarter. Walleye Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Sonic Automotive by 245.6% in the 3rd quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 28,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,650,000 after acquiring an additional 20,047 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Sonic Automotive by 346.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 24,413 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,427,000 after purchasing an additional 18,940 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 46.92% of the company’s stock.

Sonic Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE SAH opened at $58.87 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.53 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $63.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. Sonic Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $47.82 and a 12-month high of $76.78.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share (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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Sonic Automotive, Inc. will post 6.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sonic Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 2.38%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Sonic Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on SAH shares. Stephens raised their target price on Sonic Automotive from $83.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sonic Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive from $74.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sonic Automotive has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $79.20.

Sonic Automotive 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.