Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) Major Shareholder Purchases $752,044.50 in Stock

October 17, 2026 by InsiderTrades.com

Key Points

Major shareholder Paul Rusnak bought 12,555 Sonic Automotive shares at $59.90 each, investing $752,044.50 and increasing his stake by 0.24% to approximately 5.18 million shares.
Sonic Automotive reported quarterly EPS of $1.82, beating estimates by $0.07, while revenue rose 7.6% year over year to $3.93 billion. The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.41 per share, representing a 2.6% yield.
SAH shares traded at $63.63, well below their 12-month high of $113.67. Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $90.12, while institutional investors own 46.92% of the stock.

Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH - Get Free Report) major shareholder Paul Rusnak acquired 12,555 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $59.90 per share, with a total value of $752,044.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 5,176,776 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $310,088,882.40. This trade represents a 0.24% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company's shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Sonic Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of SAH traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $63.63. 317,564 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 379,608. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $71.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $77.98. Sonic Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.11 and a 12-month high of $113.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.92.

Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $3.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.78 billion. Sonic Automotive had a return on equity of 20.75% and a net margin of 1.37%. The firm's revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.19 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Sonic Automotive, Inc. will post 6.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sonic Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Sonic Automotive's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SAH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Seaport Research Partners cut Sonic Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Bank of America upped their target price on Sonic Automotive from $91.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Sonic Automotive from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Stephens set a $89.00 price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive from $90.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sonic Automotive presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $90.12.

Check Out Our Latest Report on SAH

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sonic Automotive

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in shares of Sonic Automotive by 106.2% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 27,871 shares of the company's stock worth $2,328,000 after buying an additional 14,352 shares during the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Sonic Automotive in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,799,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Sonic Automotive by 64.4% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 131,302 shares of the company's stock worth $9,003,000 after purchasing an additional 51,420 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Sonic Automotive by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,313,857 shares of the company's stock worth $90,088,000 after purchasing an additional 48,599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Sonic Automotive by 80.5% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 37,576 shares of the company's stock worth $2,577,000 after purchasing an additional 16,753 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 46.92% of the company's stock.

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.