Sonic Automotive, Inc (NYSE:SAH) Signals Stabilizing Revenue Growth Amid Strategic Expansion

Recent corporate actions and segment-level performance point to improving cash generation and a consolidation of near-term trading ranges. Operational leverage and elevated leverage create asymmetric upside if margin recovery persists.

Recent News

Jan 21, 2026 — Company scheduled release of fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 financial results. Feb 18, 2026 — Quarterly results and an earnings call summarized segment performance and guidance updates, including planned brand marketing for EchoPark. Mid-February 2026 — Paul P. Rusnak reported multiple insider purchases totaling roughly 100,000 shares across several transactions. Mar 4, 2026 — An institutional filing reported Vanguard Group increasing its stake in the company.

Technical Analysis

Directional indicators (ADX / DI+ / DI-): ADX at 21.82 signals an emerging trend strength; DI+ increasing while DI- decreases, which reads as a bullish directional shift favoring upside pressure in the near term.

MACD: MACD sits at 1.14 above its signal line (0.56) but shows a peak-and-reversal pattern, indicating that bullish momentum has begun to fade and momentum may turn bearish unless renewed buying returns.

MRO (Momentum/Regression Oscillator): MRO at -2.01 lies below zero, indicating the price sits below the model target and therefore carries potential upward pressure toward that target.

RSI: RSI at 51.34 registers near neutral and the RSI peak-and-reversal pattern suggests momentum recently rolled over from a short-term high.

Price vs. Moving Averages & Support/Resistance: Current close $65.25 trades above the 20-day average ($63.47) and the 50-day average ($61.98), signaling short-term support; the 200-day average ($69.24) presents nearby medium-term resistance. The SuperTrend lower band at $62.69 aligns with short-term support and the 1x Bollinger band range roughly spans $60.11–$66.82, indicating a contained volatility envelope.

 


Fundamental Analysis

Profitability and margins: EBIT of $121.2M and EBITDA of $162.4M translate into an EBIT margin of 3.05%. That margin sits well below the industry peer mean of 13.28% and median of 13.71%, but above the industry peer low (‑8.35%). Operating margin mirrors this level at 3.09% and shows QoQ deterioration of 24.26% while YoY declined by 3.83%.

Top line and growth: Total revenue totaled $3,973.8M with YoY revenue growth of 6.76% and a pronounced QoQ increase of 52.44% (seasonal/period effects evident). Revenue per share equals $116.29.

Earnings and cash flow: Reported EPS $1.52 versus estimate $1.50 produced an EPS surprise of 1.33%. Free cash flow stands at $134.4M with a free cash flow yield of 5.13%, above the industry peer mean of about 1.03%, and free cash flow growth of 30.87% year-over-year. Cash from operations reached $167.9M and cash conversion ratio approximates 76.57%.

Balance sheet and leverage: Total debt $4,162.3M against total assets $6,016.4M produces a debt-to-assets ratio of 69.18%, higher than the industry peer mean of 48.94% and median of 51.61%. Debt-to-equity sits at 389% and debt-to-EBITDA at 25.63x, indicating materially elevated leverage relative to typical automotive retail profiles; interest coverage near 2.42x restricts margin for additional spread compression.

Returns and efficiency: Return on equity equals 4.38% and return on assets 0.78%, both below industry peer means (ROE peer mean ~6.62%; ROA peer mean ~3.03%). Asset turnover at 0.665 lies near the industry peer high end (peer mean ~0.33), signaling reasonable sales efficiency on the asset base.

Valuation summary: Price-to-earnings about 54.35 with forward PE ~44.10 and enterprise multiple ~41.20; price/sales ~0.66. WMDST values the stock as under-valued, a view supported here primarily by a 5.13% free cash flow yield materially above the peer mean and a forward earnings multiple that embeds growth expectations; high leverage and compressed margins anchor valuation risk.

MOST-RECENT QUARTERLY REPORT
REPORT PERIOD ENDING: 2025-09-30
REPORT DATE: 2026-02-18
NEXT REPORT DATE: 2026-05-20
CASH FLOW  Begin Period Cash Flow 110.4 M
 Operating Cash Flow 167.9 M
 Capital Expenditures -33.50 M
 Change In Working Capital 78.9 M
 Dividends Paid -12.00 M
 Cash Flow Delta -21.00 M
 End Period Cash Flow 89.4 M
 
INCOME STATEMENT REVENUE
 Total Revenue 4.0 B
 Forward Revenue 1.4 B
COSTS
 Cost Of Revenue 3.4 B
 Depreciation 35.6 M
 Depreciation and Amortization 35.6 M
 Research and Development
 Total Operating Expenses 3.9 B
PROFITABILITY
 Gross Profit 615.5 M
 EBITDA 162.4 M
 EBIT 121.2 M
 Operating Income 122.7 M
 Interest Income -1.40 M
 Interest Expense 50.0 M
 Net Interest Income -51.40 M
 Income Before Tax 71.2 M
 Tax Provision 24.4 M
 Tax Rate 34.3 %
 Net Income 46.8 M
 Net Income From Continuing Operations 46.8 M
EARNINGS
 EPS Estimate 1.50
 EPS Actual 1.52
 EPS Difference 0.02
 EPS Surprise 1.333 %
 Forward EPS 1.92
 
BALANCE SHEET ASSETS
 Total Assets 6.0 B
 Intangible Assets 875.4 M
 Net Tangible Assets 193.9 M
 Total Current Assets 2.8 B
 Cash and Short-Term Investments 89.4 M
 Cash 89.4 M
 Net Receivables 446.5 M
 Inventory 2.1 B
 Long-Term Investments 138.9 M
LIABILITIES
 Accounts Payable 214.7 M
 Short-Term Debt 2.0 B
 Total Current Liabilities 2.8 B
 Net Debt 3.4 B
 Total Debt 4.2 B
 Total Liabilities 4.9 B
EQUITY
 Total Equity 1.1 B
 Retained Earnings 1.4 B
VALUATION & PER-SHARE METRICS EQUITY & PER-SHARE METRICS
 Book Value Per-Share 31.29
 Shares Outstanding 34.173 M
 Revenue Per-Share 116.29
VALUATION
 Market Capitalization 2.6 B
 Enterprise Value 6.7 B
 Enterprise Multiple 41.205
Enterprise Multiple QoQ -90.333 %
Enterprise Multiple YoY 60.521 %
Enterprise Multiple IPRWA high: 174.518
mean: 60.234
median: 56.226
SAH: 41.205
low: -68.779
 EV/R 1.684
CAPITAL STRUCTURE
 Asset To Equity 5.626
 Asset To Liability 1.216
 Debt To Capital 0.796
 Debt To Assets 0.692
Debt To Assets QoQ -1.477 %
Debt To Assets YoY 104.001 %
Debt To Assets IPRWA high: 1.051
SAH: 0.692
median: 0.516
mean: 0.489
low: 0.086
 Debt To Equity 3.893
Debt To Equity QoQ -3.759 %
Debt To Equity YoY 102.322 %
Debt To Equity IPRWA high: 5.043
SAH: 3.893
mean: 1.517
median: 1.374
low: -2.375
PRICE-BASED VALUATION
 Price To Book (P/B) 2.449
Price To Book QoQ -4.423 %
Price To Book YoY 29.792 %
Price To Book IPRWA high: 8.446
mean: 3.288
median: 2.463
SAH: 2.449
low: -5.158
 Price To Earnings (P/E) 54.35
Price To Earnings QoQ 57.773 %
Price To Earnings YoY 22.233 %
Price To Earnings IPRWA high: 279.007
median: 82.476
mean: 81.564
SAH: 54.35
low: -89.111
 PE/G Ratio -1.526
 Price To Sales (P/S) 0.659
Price To Sales QoQ -8.646 %
Price To Sales YoY 20.141 %
Price To Sales IPRWA high: 18.293
mean: 8.769
median: 8.085
SAH: 0.659
low: 0.22
FORWARD MULTIPLES
Forward P/E 44.097
Forward PE/G -1.238
Forward P/S 2.043
EFFICIENCY OPERATIONAL
 Operating Leverage -68.005
ASSET & SALES
 Asset Turnover Ratio 0.665
Asset Turnover Ratio QoQ 7.378 %
Asset Turnover Ratio YoY 10.152 %
Asset Turnover Ratio IPRWA SAH: 0.665
high: 0.661
mean: 0.33
median: 0.329
low: 0.084
 Receivables Turnover 9.412
Receivables Turnover Ratio QoQ 17.433 %
Receivables Turnover Ratio YoY 18.315 %
Receivables Turnover Ratio IPRWA high: 104.964
mean: 15.382
median: 9.92
SAH: 9.412
low: 0.289
 Inventory Turnover 1.609
Inventory Turnover Ratio QoQ 5.218 %
Inventory Turnover Ratio YoY 5.619 %
Inventory Turnover Ratio IPRWA high: 2.29
SAH: 1.609
mean: 0.79
median: 0.702
low: 0.197
 Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) 9.695
CASH CYCLE
 Cash Conversion Cycle Days (CCC) 66.262
Cash Conversion Cycle Days QoQ 1.507 %
Cash Conversion Cycle Days YoY -0.081 %
Cash Conversion Cycle Days IPRWA high: 351.932
SAH: 66.262
median: 41.536
mean: 23.924
low: -107.374
CAPITAL DEPLOYMENT
 Cash Conversion Ratio 76.566
 CapEx To Revenue -0.008
 CapEx To Depreciation -0.941
 
CAPITAL, LIQUIDITY & COVERAGE CAPITAL STRUCTURE
 Total Capital 2.5 B
 Net Invested Capital 4.6 B
 Invested Capital 4.6 B
 Net Tangible Assets 193.9 M
 Net Working Capital 51.9 M
LIQUIDITY
 Cash Ratio 0.032
 Current Ratio 1.019
Current Ratio QoQ -0.707 %
Current Ratio YoY -8.006 %
Current Ratio IPRWA high: 3.669
mean: 1.206
median: 1.13
SAH: 1.019
low: 0.071
 Quick Ratio 0.273
Quick Ratio QoQ 12.34 %
Quick Ratio YoY -22.382 %
Quick Ratio IPRWA high: 2.26
mean: 0.402
SAH: 0.273
median: 0.245
low: 0.054
COVERAGE & LEVERAGE
 Debt To EBITDA 25.63
 Cost Of Debt 0.789 %
 Interest Coverage Ratio 2.424
Interest Coverage Ratio QoQ -532.996 %
Interest Coverage Ratio YoY 10.929 %
Interest Coverage Ratio IPRWA high: 52.0
mean: 13.292
median: 8.634
SAH: 2.424
low: -17.385
 Operating Cash Flow Ratio 0.051
TIMING / LIQUIDITY
 Days Payables Outstanding (DPO) 5.79
DIVIDENDS
 Dividend Coverage Ratio 3.9
 Dividend Payout Ratio 0.256
 Dividend Rate 0.35
 Dividend Yield 0.005
PERFORMANCE GROWTH
 Asset Growth Rate 1.45 %
 Revenue Growth 8.657 %
Revenue Growth QoQ 5243.827 %
Revenue Growth YoY 676.413 %
Revenue Growth IPRWA high: 45.625 %
mean: 9.764 %
SAH: 8.657 %
median: 3.992 %
low: -16.233 %
 Earnings Growth -35.616 %
Earnings Growth QoQ -174.242 %
Earnings Growth YoY 149.307 %
Earnings Growth IPRWA high: 285.714 %
median: 8.974 %
mean: 1.789 %
SAH: -35.616 %
low: -300.0 %
MARGINS
 Gross Margin 15.489 %
Gross Margin QoQ -5.933 %
Gross Margin YoY -0.514 %
Gross Margin IPRWA high: 97.069 %
median: 44.682 %
mean: 41.452 %
SAH: 15.489 %
low: 10.882 %
 EBIT Margin 3.05 %
EBIT Margin QoQ -549.853 %
EBIT Margin YoY -5.014 %
EBIT Margin IPRWA high: 20.894 %
median: 13.714 %
mean: 13.279 %
SAH: 3.05 %
low: -8.354 %
 Return On Sales (ROS) 3.088 %
Return On Sales QoQ -24.258 %
Return On Sales YoY -3.831 %
Return On Sales IPRWA high: 20.742 %
median: 14.013 %
mean: 13.122 %
SAH: 3.088 %
low: -8.039 %
CASH FLOW
 Free Cash Flow (FCF) 134.4 M
 Free Cash Flow Yield 5.132 %
Free Cash Flow Yield QoQ 31.826 %
Free Cash Flow Yield YoY 184.953 %
Free Cash Flow Yield IPRWA high: 10.42 %
SAH: 5.132 %
mean: 1.027 %
median: 0.763 %
low: -13.337 %
 Free Cash Growth 30.867 %
Free Cash Growth QoQ -196.771 %
Free Cash Growth YoY -126.02 %
Free Cash Growth IPRWA high: 535.911 %
SAH: 30.867 %
median: -33.254 %
mean: -55.984 %
low: -670.853 %
 Free Cash To Net Income 2.872
 Cash Flow Margin 3.516 %
 Cash Flow To Earnings 2.985
VALUE & RETURNS
 Economic Value Added 0.02
 Return On Assets (ROA) 0.783 %
Return On Assets QoQ -201.425 %
Return On Assets YoY -38.971 %
Return On Assets IPRWA high: 4.767 %
median: 3.611 %
mean: 3.025 %
SAH: 0.783 %
low: -2.099 %
 Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) 3.717 %
 Return On Equity (ROE) 0.044
Return On Equity QoQ -198.826 %
Return On Equity YoY -40.123 %
Return On Equity IPRWA high: 0.238
mean: 0.066
median: 0.063
SAH: 0.044
low: -0.071
 DuPont ROE 4.461 %
 Return On Invested Capital (ROIC) 1.748 %
Return On Invested Capital QoQ -585.556 %
Return On Invested Capital YoY -61.801 %
Return On Invested Capital IPRWA high: 15.392 %
mean: 7.448 %
median: 6.271 %
SAH: 1.748 %
low: -3.832 %

Six-Week Outlook

Momentum appears mixed: directional indicators favor upside while MACD and RSI evidence recent momentum fatigue. Expect consolidation with a bias toward stability if short-term support around $62.70–$63.50 holds; upside faces resistance near the 200-day average at $69.24 and the upper Bollinger band near $66.82. Elevated leverage and margin sensitivity create asymmetric outcomes—marginal margin improvement would likely translate into stronger free-cash-flow optics, while further margin pressure would widen downside risk. Volatility across the next six weeks should remain moderate given current 42-day and 52-week volatility readings.

About Sonic Automotive, Inc.

Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) develops a robust presence in the U.S. automotive retail industry. It operates through three primary segments: Franchised Dealerships, EchoPark, and Powersports. The Franchised Dealerships segment manages the sale of new and pre-owned cars and light trucks, alongside selling replacement parts. It also provides vehicle maintenance services, manufacturer warranty repairs, and paint and collision repair services. Additionally, this segment arranges extended warranties, service contracts, financing, insurance, and other aftermarket products for customers. EchoPark, another segment, focuses on selling used cars and light trucks, while also facilitating finance and insurance product sales at its pre-owned vehicle specialty retail locations. The Powersports segment offers new and used powersports vehicles, including motorcycles, personal watercraft, and all-terrain vehicles, and provides related finance and insurance services. Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Sonic Automotive, Inc. maintains a comprehensive approach to automotive retail, catering to a wide range of customer needs across its diverse segments.



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