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Stocks · Consumer discretionary · Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations

SONIC AUTOMOTIVE INC

SAH Clue Score44
United States Fiscal year ends December CIK 0001043509
$60.56 -1.54% Close, 9 Oct 2026
Alert on the numbers Alert on insider trades
Price $60.56 +10.03% Close, 9 Oct 2026

Closing prices at the end of each trading day, from 12 Oct 2016. Not a live quote. Adjusted for share splits, so the line has no step at a split; dividends are not added back. P/E and P/FCF are the market value over the last full fiscal year's net income or free cash flow, as public on each day, so they step once a year when the annual report comes out. A hatched band marks a stretch with none: a year of net loss, or of cash burnt.

Revenue and profit

What the business sells, and what is left of it. Point at a year for the detail.
RevenueOperating incomeNet income
Fiscal year 2016Revenue9.73Operating income0.23Net income0.09EPS, diluted2.03Fiscal year 2017Revenue9.87 +1.4%Operating income0.21Net income0.09 −0.2%EPS, diluted2.09 +3.0%Fiscal year 2018Revenue9.95 +0.9%Operating income0.18Net income0.05 −44.5%EPS, diluted1.20 −42.6%Fiscal year 2019Revenue10.45 +5.1%Operating income0.31Net income0.14 +179.0%EPS, diluted3.30 +175.0%Fiscal year 2020Revenue9.77 −6.6%Operating income0.03Net income−0.05 −135.7%EPS, diluted−1.21 −136.7%Fiscal year 2021Revenue12.40 +26.9%Operating income0.54Net income0.35EPS, diluted8.06Fiscal year 2022Revenue14.00 +12.9%Operating income0.31Net income0.09 −74.6%EPS, diluted2.23 −72.3%Fiscal year 2023Revenue14.37 +2.7%Operating income0.42Net income0.18 +101.4%EPS, diluted4.97 +122.9%Fiscal year 2024Revenue14.22 −1.0%Operating income0.46Net income0.22 +21.2%EPS, diluted6.18 +24.3%Fiscal year 2025Revenue15.15 +6.5%Operating income0.37Net income0.12 −45.0%EPS, diluted3.42 −44.7%
FY2016FY2017FY2018FY2019FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025
Revenue 9.73 9.87 9.95 10.45 9.77 12.40 14.00 14.37 14.22 15.15
Growth +1.4% +0.9% +5.1% −6.6% +26.9% +12.9% +2.7% −1.0% +6.5%
Operating income 0.23 0.21 0.18 0.31 0.03 0.54 0.31 0.42 0.46 0.37
Net income 0.09 0.09 0.05 0.14 −0.05 0.35 0.09 0.18 0.22 0.12
Growth −0.2% −44.5% +179.0% −135.7% −74.6% +101.4% +21.2% −45.0%
EPS, diluted 2.03 2.09 1.20 3.30 −1.21 8.06 2.23 4.97 6.18 3.42
Growth +3.0% −42.6% +175.0% −136.7% −72.3% +122.9% +24.3% −44.7%

Margins

How much of each dollar of revenue it keeps. Point at a year for the detail.
Gross marginOperating marginNet margin
Fiscal year 2016Gross margin14.7%Operating margin2.4%Net margin1.0%Free cash flow margin0.1%Fiscal year 2017Gross margin14.8%Operating margin2.1%Net margin0.9%Free cash flow margin−0.7%Fiscal year 2018Gross margin14.5%Operating margin1.8%Net margin0.5%Free cash flow margin−0.2%Fiscal year 2019Gross margin14.5%Operating margin2.9%Net margin1.4%Free cash flow margin0.4%Fiscal year 2020Gross margin14.6%Operating margin0.3%Net margin−0.5%Free cash flow margin1.6%Fiscal year 2021Gross margin15.4%Operating margin4.3%Net margin2.8%Free cash flow margin4.9%Fiscal year 2022Gross margin16.5%Operating margin2.2%Net margin0.6%Free cash flow margin4.5%Fiscal year 2023Gross margin15.6%Operating margin2.9%Net margin1.2%Free cash flow margin1.3%Fiscal year 2024Gross margin15.4%Operating margin3.2%Net margin1.5%Free cash flow margin2.1%Fiscal year 2025Gross margin15.7%Operating margin2.4%Net margin0.8%Free cash flow margin4.7%
FY2016FY2017FY2018FY2019FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025
Gross margin 14.7% 14.8% 14.5% 14.5% 14.6% 15.4% 16.5% 15.6% 15.4% 15.7%
Operating margin 2.4% 2.1% 1.8% 2.9% 0.3% 4.3% 2.2% 2.9% 3.2% 2.4%
Net margin 1.0% 0.9% 0.5% 1.4% −0.5% 2.8% 0.6% 1.2% 1.5% 0.8%
Free cash flow margin 0.1% −0.7% −0.2% 0.4% 1.6% 4.9% 4.5% 1.3% 2.1% 4.7%

Cash flow

The cash the business makes, what it reinvests, and what it hands back. Point at a year for the detail.
Operating cash flowCapital expenditureFree cash flow
Fiscal year 2016Operating cash flow0.22Capital expenditure−0.21Free cash flow0.01Buybacks−0.10Dividends paid−0.01Fiscal year 2017Operating cash flow0.16Capital expenditure−0.23Free cash flow−0.07 −804.0%Buybacks−0.04Dividends paid−0.01Fiscal year 2018Operating cash flow0.14Capital expenditure−0.16Free cash flow−0.02Buybacks−0.02Dividends paid−0.01Fiscal year 2019Operating cash flow0.17Capital expenditure−0.13Free cash flow0.05Buybacks−0.00Dividends paid−0.02Fiscal year 2020Operating cash flow0.28Capital expenditure−0.13Free cash flow0.15 +240.5%Buybacks−0.07Dividends paid−0.02Fiscal year 2021Operating cash flow0.31Capital expenditure0.30Free cash flow0.60 +292.8%Buybacks0.09Dividends paid0.02Fiscal year 2022Operating cash flow0.41Capital expenditure0.23Free cash flow0.63 +4.7%Buybacks0.26Dividends paid0.03Fiscal year 2023Operating cash flow−0.02Capital expenditure0.20Free cash flow0.19 −70.3%Buybacks0.18Dividends paid0.04Fiscal year 2024Operating cash flow0.11Capital expenditure0.19Free cash flow0.30 +57.8%Buybacks0.03Dividends paid0.04Fiscal year 2025Operating cash flow0.57Capital expenditure0.15Free cash flow0.72 +141.9%Buybacks0.08Dividends paid0.05
FY2016FY2017FY2018FY2019FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025
Operating cash flow 0.22 0.16 0.14 0.17 0.28 0.31 0.41 −0.02 0.11 0.57
Capital expenditure −0.21 −0.23 −0.16 −0.13 −0.13 0.30 0.23 0.20 0.19 0.15
Free cash flow 0.01 −0.07 −0.02 0.05 0.15 0.60 0.63 0.19 0.30 0.72
Growth −804.0% +240.5% +292.8% +4.7% −70.3% +57.8% +141.9%
Buybacks −0.10 −0.04 −0.02 −0.00 −0.07 0.09 0.26 0.18 0.03 0.08
Dividends paid −0.01 −0.01 −0.01 −0.02 −0.02 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.04 0.05

Balance sheet

What it holds against what it owes, at each year end. Point at a year for the detail.
CashTotal debt
Fiscal year 2016Cash0.00Total debt0.88Net cash (debt)−0.88Shareholders’ equity0.73Debt to equity1.22Fiscal year 2017Cash0.01Total debt1.02Net cash (debt)−1.02Shareholders’ equity0.79Debt to equity1.30Fiscal year 2018Cash0.01Total debt0.95Net cash (debt)−0.94Shareholders’ equity0.82Debt to equity1.15Fiscal year 2019Cash0.03Total debt0.71Net cash (debt)−0.68Shareholders’ equity0.94Debt to equity0.75Fiscal year 2020Cash0.17Total debt0.72Net cash (debt)−0.55Shareholders’ equity0.81Debt to equity0.88Fiscal year 2021Cash0.30Total debt1.56Net cash (debt)−1.26Shareholders’ equity1.08Debt to equity1.45Fiscal year 2022Cash0.23Total debt1.75Net cash (debt)−1.52Shareholders’ equity0.90Debt to equity1.96Fiscal year 2023Cash0.03Total debt1.68Net cash (debt)−1.65Shareholders’ equity0.89Debt to equity1.88Fiscal year 2024Cash0.04Total debt1.59Net cash (debt)−1.54Shareholders’ equity1.06Debt to equity1.49Fiscal year 2025Cash0.01Total debt1.62Net cash (debt)−1.61Shareholders’ equity1.07Debt to equity1.51
FY2016FY2017FY2018FY2019FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025
Cash 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.03 0.17 0.30 0.23 0.03 0.04 0.01
Total debt 0.88 1.02 0.95 0.71 0.72 1.56 1.75 1.68 1.59 1.62
Net cash (debt) −0.88 −1.02 −0.94 −0.68 −0.55 −1.26 −1.52 −1.65 −1.54 −1.61
Shareholders’ equity 0.73 0.79 0.82 0.94 0.81 1.08 0.90 0.89 1.06 1.07
Debt to equity 1.22 1.30 1.15 0.75 0.88 1.45 1.96 1.88 1.49 1.51

In billions of USD, except per-share figures and ratios. Fiscal years, as last filed with the SEC.

Financial statements FY2025 · 10-K

Income statement

In billions of USD, except per-share figures; shares in millions. Fiscal years ending December, each column as last filed with the SEC.
Click a line to chart it
Fiscal year FY2016 31 Dec 2016 FY2017 31 Dec 2017 FY2018 31 Dec 2018 FY2019 31 Dec 2019 FY2020 31 Dec 2020 FY2021 31 Dec 2021 FY2022 31 Dec 2022 FY2023 31 Dec 2023 FY2024 31 Dec 2024 FY2025 31 Dec 2025
Revenue and profit
9.73 9.87 9.95 10.45 9.77 12.40 14.00 14.37 14.22 15.15
Growth +1.4% +0.9% +5.1% −6.6% +26.9% +12.9% +2.7% −1.0% +6.5%
8.30 8.41 8.51 8.93 8.34 10.48 11.68 12.13 12.03 12.77
1.43 1.46 1.45 1.52 1.42 1.91 2.32 2.25 2.19 2.38
Growth +2.0% −0.8% +5.2% −6.4% +34.5% +21.0% −3.1% −2.4% +8.7%
1.11 1.15 1.15 1.10 1.03 1.27 1.56 1.60 1.58 1.68
0.23 0.21 0.18 0.31 0.03 0.54 0.31 0.42 0.46 0.37
Growth −9.2% −16.0% +73.2% −89.0% +1,488.2% −41.7% +34.9% +8.9% −20.4%
0.16 0.11 0.08 0.20 −0.03 0.46 0.19 0.24 0.26 0.17
0.06 0.01 0.02 0.06 0.02 0.11 0.10 0.06 0.04 −0.05
0.09 0.09 0.05 0.14 −0.05 0.35 0.09 0.18 0.22 0.12
Growth −0.2% −44.5% +179.0% −135.7% −74.6% +101.4% +21.2% −45.0%
Per share
2.04 2.11 1.21 3.35 −1.21 8.43 2.29 5.09 6.34 3.49
2.03 2.09 1.20 3.30 −1.21 8.06 2.23 4.97 6.18 3.42
Growth +3.0% −42.6% +175.0% −136.7% −72.3% +122.9% +24.3% −44.7%
45.6 44.0 42.7 43.0 42.5 41.4 38.7 35.0 34.1 34.0
45.9 44.4 43.0 43.7 42.5 43.3 39.7 35.9 35.0 34.7
Growth −3.5% −3.2% +1.8% −2.8% +1.9% −8.3% −9.6% −2.5% −0.9%

Five years in brief

Worked out from the figures above, not from a press release
  • Revenue grew 9.2% a year over five years.
  • The diluted share count fell 18.4% in five years, so buybacks did some of the work per share.
  • Operating margin is up 2.1 points on five years ago, at 2.4%.
  • A net loss in 1 of 10 years on file.