Sonic Automotive
Retailer of franchised vehicles, EchoPark used cars, and powersports products and services.
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Profile
Retails new and used cars, light trucks, and powersports vehicles through franchised dealerships, EchoPark, and Powersports stores across the U.S. Revenue comes mainly from vehicle sales, with parts and service, collision repair, and third-party finance and insurance products adding income; franchised dealerships remain the core business.
Sells new and used vehicles through three U.S. retail segments: Franchised Dealerships, EchoPark, and Powersports. Franchised stores pair car and light-truck sales with replacement parts, maintenance, warranty and collision repair, plus third-party financing, insurance, service contracts, and other aftermarket products. EchoPark specializes in used cars and light trucks, while Powersports retails motorcycles, personal watercraft, all-terrain vehicles, parts, service, and related finance and insurance products.
Earns most revenue from franchised dealerships; EchoPark provides a dedicated pre-owned format and Powersports has expanded through dealership acquisitions. Store economics depend on vehicle sourcing and pricing, fixed-operations throughput, manufacturer relationships and incentives, customer financing, and inventory funding. Federal and state licensing and consumer-finance rules shape operations, while Smith-family-controlled Class B shares hold a majority of voting power.
Company facts
Categories
Key statistics
Year to date +29.2% · Average volume (30d) 276.1K
Analysts
Ratings
Target range
Latest analyst notes
| Date | Firm | Action | Prior rating | Rating | Prior target | Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 2026 | Barclays | Reiterate | Equal Weight | $92 | $87 | |
| Aug 6, 2026 | Morgan Stanley | Downgrade | Equal-Weight | Underweight | ||
| Jul 31, 2026 | Needham | Reiterate | Buy | $90 | $139 | |
| Jul 17, 2026 | Seaport Global | Downgrade | Buy | Neutral | ||
| Jul 15, 2026 | Barclays | Reiterate | Equal Weight | $77 | $92 |
Earnings
EPS
Revenue
History
| Report date | EPS est | EPS | Surprise | Revenue est | Revenue | Surprise | Next session |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2026Q2 FY26 | $1.75 | $1.82 | +4.0% | $3.78B | $3.93B | +4.0% | −10.94% |
| Apr 30, 2026Q1 FY26 | $1.46 | $1.62 | +11.0% | $3.73B | $3.69B | −1.1% | −2.95% |
| Feb 18, 2026Q4 FY25 | $1.53 | $1.52 | −0.7% | $3.94B | $3.87B | −1.7% | +2.61% |
| Oct 23, 2025Q3 FY25 | $1.82 | $1.41 | −22.5% | $3.94B | $3.97B | +0.8% | −1.76% |
Financial highlights
| 12 quarters | Q1 FY25 | Q2 FY25 | Q3 FY25 | Q4 FY25 | Q1 FY26 | Q2 FY26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $3.65B | $3.66B | $3.97B | $3.87B | $3.69B | $3.93B | |
| Gross profit | $566.4M | $602.2M | $615.5M | $598.7M | $598.8M | $616.2M | |
| Operating income | $146.4M | $149.1M | $122.7M | $123.2M | $133.1M | $131.6M | |
| Net income | $70.6M | −$45.6M | $46.8M | $46.9M | $60.8M | $57.4M | |
| Diluted EPS | $2.04 | −$1.34 | $1.36 | $1.36 | $1.79 | $1.79 | |
| Gross margin | 15.5% | 16.5% | 15.5% | 15.5% | 16.2% | 15.7% | |
| Operating margin | 4.0% | 4.1% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 3.6% | 3.3% |
Fiscal years (4-quarter sums)FY21 $12.40B · FY22 $14.00B · FY23 $14.37B · FY24 $14.22B · FY25 $15.15B
Revenue by product · Q2 FY26
Balance sheet, Jun 30, 2026Cash & short-term investments $19.2M · Total debt $4.67B · Total assets $6.38B · Shareholders' equity $1.03B
Dividends
Raised for 15 straight years — most recently to $0.41 from $0.38 in Jun 2026. To collect a payout, hold shares through the close before the ex-date.
History
| Ex-date | Record | Paid | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 2026 | Jun 15 | Jul 15 | $0.41 | raised from $0.38 |
| Mar 13, 2026 | Mar 13 | Apr 15 | $0.38 | |
| Dec 15, 2025 | Dec 15 | Jan 15 | $0.38 | |
| Sep 15, 2025 | Sep 15 | Oct 15 | $0.38 | raised from $0.35 |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Jun 13 | Jul 15 | $0.35 | |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Mar 14 | Apr 15 | $0.35 | |
| Dec 13, 2024 | Dec 13 | Jan 15 | $0.35 | raised from $0.30 |
| Sep 13, 2024 | Sep 13 | Oct 15 | $0.30 |
Ownership
Shares outstanding 33.30M · Float 19.52M · 58.6% free float
Top shareholders13F · 13D/G · Form 4
| Holder | Shares | % outstanding | Form | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Bruton Smith | 13.37M | 42.30% | 13D | Jun 17, 2026 |
| BlackRock, Inc. | 2.41M | 7.23% | 13F | Aug 7, 2026 |
| David Bruton Smith · director, 10 percent owner, officer: Chairman and CEO | 1.37M | 4.11% | Form 4 | Apr 2, 2026 |
| Dimensional Fund Advisors LP | 1.33M | 4.01% | 13F | Aug 11, 2026 |
| Bryan Scott Smith · director, 10 percent owner: | 1.24M | 3.72% | Form 4 | May 1, 2026 |
Insider tradesForm 4
| Date | Insider | Role | Shares | Avg price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 10, 2026 | Jeff Dyke | director, officer: President | −35,114 | $85.22 |
| Jun 9, 2026 | Jeff Dyke | director, officer: President | −14,886 | $85.13 |
| Jun 8, 2026 | Jeff Dyke | director, officer: President | −50,000 | $82.97 |
| May 28, 2026 | Heath Byrd | officer: EVP and CFO | −9,526 | $85.00 |
| Feb 5, 2026 | Paul P. Rusnak | 10 percent owner | +18,738 | $59.98 |
Peers
- Lithia Motors
Largest dealership consolidator with Driveway digital reach
- AutoNation
Nationwide dealer network across new, used, aftersales, and F&I
- Penske Automotive Group
Premium-heavy auto retailer with service and F&I overlap
- Group 1 Automotive
Multi-brand dealer group with close U.S. retail overlap
- Asbury Automotive Group
Dealer consolidator with service, F&I, collision, and digital retail
- CarMax
Used-car specialist directly opposite EchoPark
- Carvana
Online-first used-car retailer challenging EchoPark
CompareAfter-hours close
| Company | Price | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonic Automotive | $79.68 | +0.04% | $2.65B | 12.6 | 11.1 | 0.2 | +7.6% |
| Lithia Motors | $370.36 | −0.13% | $8.14B | 12.3 | 9.5 | 0.2 | +2.2% |
| AutoNation | $200.09 | −0.02% | $6.70B | 9.3 | 8.5 | 0.2 | −0.6% |
| Penske Automotive Group | $217.01 | −0.03% | $14.25B | 16.0 | 15.5 | 0.4 | +11.1% |
| Group 1 Automotive | $263.95 | +0.05% | $3.15B | 11.0 | 6.4 | 0.1 | −5.6% |
| Asbury Automotive Group | $211.62 | +0.01% | $3.94B | 7.9 | 7.5 | 0.2 | +0.3% |
| CarMax | $62.57 | +0.74% | $8.81B | 38.6 | 22.3 | 0.3 | +6.2% |
| Carvana | $74.29 | +0.34% | $81.21B | 34.3 | 38.0 | 3.2 | +52.4% |
| Median | 12.3 | 9.5 | 0.2 | +2.2% |