SONIC AUTOMOTIVE INC
SAH · Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations · 35.9M shares · -5%/yr ↓ buyback · EDGAR filings ↗
Net buyback after stock comp: -$201M (gross -$178M, SBC $23M)
Reference price $85.22 · est. market cap ~$3.1B — last insider sale, 2026-06-10 (estimated from the dated SEC Form 4 price × shares outstanding — not a live quote)
Grade
C62Large auto retailer with thin margins, a sharp earnings drop and a big impairment charge.
Strengths
- Strong free cash flow (80th pct) and ROIC of 11% (77th pct); brand-diversified luxury/import mix
- Revenue grew 6.5% (59th pct)
Risks
- Razor-thin net margin 0.78% and net income down 45% (17th pct), with $173.8M franchise impairment
- Modest ROE 11% (35th pct) and high leverage (debt/equity 1.46); structural threat from direct-to-consumer/EV models
Notable findings
- Exec changeRecent 8-K item 5.02 8-K ↗
- Insider buyingInsider buying — 6 open-market buy(s) by 1 insider(s) (~$6M, last 6mo) Form 4 ↗
- Buying back stockNet buyback — share count -5%/yr over 4y, ~-
- Insider sellingInsider selling — 5 open-market sale(s) by 2 insider(s) (cluster of 2 insiders, ~$10M, last 6mo) Form 4 ↗
Quarterly revenue
Last 4 quarters · from SEC filings.
Key metrics
Gross margin
15.7%
Operating margin
2.4%
Net margin
0.8%
Return on equity
11.1%
Return on assets
2.0%
ROIC
11.0%
Revenue growth (QoQ)
-4.7%
Net-income growth
-45.0%
Debt / equity
1.5×
Net debt / EBITDA
2.9×
Current ratio
1.1×
Free cash flow
$717M
EBITDA
$531M
Tangible book value
$192M
Cash & investments
$6M
Stock comp / revenue
0.2%
Insider transactions · last 18 months
| Date | Insider | Type | Shares | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-10 | DYKE JEFF | Sell | 35K | $85.22 |
| 2026-06-09 | DYKE JEFF | Sell | 15K | $85.13 |
| 2026-06-08 | DYKE JEFF | Sell | 50K | $82.97 |
| 2026-06-02 | Byrd Heath | Sell | 5.1K | $85.00 |
| 2026-05-28 | Byrd Heath | Sell | 9.5K | $85.00 |
| 2026-04-30 | SMITH MARCUS G | Grant | 4.4K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Hodge Michael Edward | Grant | 3.6K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | TAYLOR R EUGENE | Grant | 2.8K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | SMITH BRYAN SCOTT | Grant | 4.4K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | BELK WILLIAM I | Grant | 2.8K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Kaiser Keri A | Grant | 3.1K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | BROOKS WILLIAM R | Grant | 2.9K | — |
| 2026-03-31 | Byrd Heath | Option exercise | 5.9K | — |
| 2026-03-31 | Byrd Heath | Disposition | 5.9K | $68.57 |
| 2026-03-31 | DYKE JEFF | Option exercise | 7.5K | — |
| 2026-03-31 | DYKE JEFF | Disposition | 7.5K | $68.57 |
| 2026-03-31 | SMITH DAVID BRUTON | Option exercise | 13K | — |
| 2026-03-31 | SMITH DAVID BRUTON | Disposition | 13K | $68.57 |
| 2026-02-17 | Rusnak Paul P. | Buy | 11K | $59.95 |
| 2026-02-13 | Rusnak Paul P. | Buy | 49K | $59.92 |
| 2026-02-12 | Rusnak Paul P. | Buy | 11K | $59.97 |
| 2026-02-11 | Rusnak Paul P. | Buy | 1.9K | $59.98 |
| 2026-02-10 | Rusnak Paul P. | Buy | 7.8K | $59.96 |
| 2026-02-08 | Byrd Heath | Tax withheld | 4.2K | $62.46 |
| 2026-02-08 | DYKE JEFF | Tax withheld | 5.3K | $62.46 |
| 2026-02-08 | SMITH DAVID BRUTON | Tax withheld | 12K | $62.46 |
| 2026-02-07 | Byrd Heath | Tax withheld | 5.0K | $62.46 |
| 2026-02-07 | DYKE JEFF | Tax withheld | 6.4K | $62.46 |
| 2026-02-07 | SMITH DAVID BRUTON | Tax withheld | 9.2K | $62.46 |
| 2026-02-05 | Rusnak Paul P. | Buy | 19K | $59.98 |
| 2025-06-02 | DYKE JEFF | Sell | 576 | $70.02 |
| 2025-05-30 | DYKE JEFF | Sell | 31K | $70.05 |
| 2025-05-29 | DYKE JEFF | Sell | 1.8K | $70.00 |
| 2025-05-28 | DYKE JEFF | Sell | 16K | $70.03 |
| 2025-05-06 | DYKE JEFF | Tax withheld | 145K | $62.82 |
| 2025-04-24 | Hodge Michael Edward | Grant | 4.2K | — |
| 2025-04-24 | BROOKS WILLIAM R | Grant | 3.4K | — |
| 2025-04-24 | TAYLOR R EUGENE | Grant | 3.3K | — |
| 2025-04-24 | BELK WILLIAM I | Grant | 3.3K | — |
| 2025-04-24 | Kaiser Keri A | Grant | 3.6K | — |
| 2025-04-24 | SMITH MARCUS G | Grant | 5.1K | — |
| 2025-04-24 | SMITH BRYAN SCOTT | Grant | 5.1K | — |
| 2025-03-31 | Byrd Heath | Tax withheld | 4.2K | $56.96 |
| 2025-03-31 | DYKE JEFF | Tax withheld | 5.3K | $56.96 |
| 2025-03-31 | SMITH DAVID BRUTON | Tax withheld | 7.8K | $56.96 |
| 2025-02-09 | Byrd Heath | Tax withheld | 6.3K | $72.97 |
| 2025-02-09 | DYKE JEFF | Tax withheld | 8.1K | $72.97 |
| 2025-02-09 | SMITH DAVID BRUTON | Tax withheld | 15K | $72.97 |
| 2025-02-08 | SMITH DAVID BRUTON | Tax withheld | 8.3K | $72.97 |
| 2025-02-08 | Byrd Heath | Tax withheld | 2.9K | $72.97 |
| 2025-02-08 | DYKE JEFF | Tax withheld | 3.6K | $72.97 |
All non-derivative Form 4 activity (SEC), newest first.
Supply chain
Customers (0)
Suppliers (14)
- Honda
- Toyota
- Volkswagen
- General Motors
- Cadillac
- CDK Global
- BMW
- Mercedes
- Land Rover
- Lexus
- Audi
- Porsche
- Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM
- Ford
Named in the 10-K; linked when we track them.
Notable events (8-K)
| Date | Items | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-08 | Exec/director change | filing ↗ |
| 2026-05-01 | Exec/director changeShareholder voteExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-04-30 | ResultsReg FDExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-04-02 | Material agreementDebt obligationExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-02-18 | ResultsReg FDExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-02-13 | Exec/director change | filing ↗ |
| 2025-10-23 | ResultsReg FDExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2025-07-24 | ResultsReg FDExhibits | filing ↗ |
Recent filings
| Form | Filed | Period | Accession |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8-K | 2026-05-08 | 2026-05-06 | 0001628280-26-032819 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-05-01 | 2026-04-29 | 0001628280-26-029314 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-04-30 | 2026-04-30 | 0001628280-26-028612 ↗ |
| 10-Q | 2026-04-30 | 2026-04-30 | 0001628280-26-028847 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-04-02 | 2026-03-27 | 0001628280-26-023135 ↗ |
| 10-K | 2026-02-23 | 2025-12-31 | 0001628280-26-010570 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-02-18 | 2026-02-18 | 0001628280-26-008808 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-02-13 | 2026-02-11 | 0001628280-26-007898 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2025-10-23 | 2025-10-23 | 0001628280-25-045985 ↗ |
| 10-Q | 2025-10-23 | 2025-09-30 | 0001628280-25-046077 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2025-07-24 | 2025-07-24 | 0001628280-25-035842 ↗ |
| 10-Q | 2025-07-24 | 2025-06-30 | 0001043509-25-000029 ↗ |