Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) Major Shareholder Purchases $1,287,877.50 in Stock

October 7, 2026 by InsiderTrades.com

Key Points

Major shareholder Paul Rusnak purchased 21,645 shares of Sonic Automotive at $59.50 each, investing approximately $1.29 million and increasing his direct stake by 0.42%.
Sonic Automotive exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.82 in EPS versus $1.75 expected and $3.93 billion in revenue, up 7.6% year over year. The company also declared a $0.41 quarterly dividend, representing a 2.7% yield.
Analyst sentiment remains mixed: the stock carries a consensus “Hold” rating, with an average price target of $94.50, while Morgan Stanley and Barclays recently lowered their targets.

Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH - Get Free Report) major shareholder Paul Rusnak purchased 21,645 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 1st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $59.50 per share, for a total transaction of $1,287,877.50. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,121,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $304,737,877.50. The trade was a 0.42% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company's stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Sonic Automotive Stock Down 2.6%

SAH stock opened at $61.02 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $76.08 and a 200-day moving average of $78.21. Sonic Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.11 and a fifty-two week high of $113.67. The company has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.73, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 1.01.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $3.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.78 billion. Sonic Automotive had a return on equity of 20.75% and a net margin of 1.37%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.19 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Sonic Automotive, Inc. will post 6.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Sonic Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Sonic Automotive's payout ratio is 26.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on SAH. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive from $72.00 to $57.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Seaport Research Partners cut shares of Sonic Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $185.00 to $205.00 in a report on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Sonic Automotive from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Citigroup raised their price target on Sonic Automotive from $95.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on Sonic Automotive from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $94.50.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on SAH

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sonic Automotive

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SAH. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in Sonic Automotive during the 1st quarter worth approximately $79,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Sonic Automotive in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $88,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Sonic Automotive in the 2nd quarter valued at $208,000. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in Sonic Automotive by 2,981.1% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,067 shares of the company's stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 3,935 shares during the period. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in shares of Sonic Automotive during the 2nd quarter valued at $373,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 46.92% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Sonic Automotive

Here are the key news stories impacting Sonic Automotive this week:

Positive Sentiment: Major shareholder Paul P. Rusnak purchased 21,645 shares for approximately $1.29 million at an average price of $59.50. The purchase increased his direct stake by 0.42%, a potentially supportive signal of insider confidence. SEC insider transaction filing
Positive Sentiment: Sonic Automotive reported approximately 8% second-quarter revenue growth, indicating continued sales expansion despite a challenging consumer and auto-market backdrop. Sonic Automotive stock reports 8 percent Q2 revenue growth
Neutral Sentiment: Sell-side coverage remains mixed, with brokerages collectively rating the stock “Hold.” Analysts’ opinions on Sonic Automotive also remain divided, suggesting limited consensus on the company’s earnings outlook. Sonic Automotive stock rated Hold
Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan lowered its price target from $72 to $64 and assigned an “Underweight” rating. Although the new target implies modest upside based on the referenced price, the reduction signals weaker expectations for valuation or operating performance. JPMorgan lowers Sonic Automotive price target
Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley also cut its target, from $72 to $57, and maintained an “Underweight” rating. This target is below the referenced share price and reinforces the broader analyst concern weighing on SAH. Morgan Stanley cuts Sonic Automotive price target

About Sonic Automotive

(Get Free Report)

Sonic Automotive, Inc is an automotive retailer headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company operates franchised dealerships that sell new and used cars and light trucks from a range of manufacturers, along with related automotive products and services.

Its dealership operations provide vehicle financing and insurance products, parts and maintenance services, collision repair, and other after-sales support. Sonic Automotive also operates EchoPark Automotive, a used-vehicle retail business focused on providing a broad selection of pre-owned vehicles and related services.

Founded in 1997 by automotive entrepreneur O.