Sonic AutomotiveSAH +2.69%82 Piotroski F-Score is 5 as of Jun. 24, 2026, which is at its 10-year median of 5.00. GuruFocus rates SAH with a GF Score™ of 82/100 and a GF Value™ of $64.31 (Modestly Overvalued). The stock has 5 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,286 Vehicles & Parts companies, Sonic Automotive ranks better than 52.64% on this metric.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Sonic Automotive has an F-score of 5 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
The historical rank and industry rank for Sonic Automotive's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
SAH'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 2 Med: 5 Max: 8
Current: 5
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of Sonic Automotive was 8. The lowest was 2. And the median was 5.
Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) Piotroski F-Score Explanation
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
Sonic Automotive Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
Sonic Automotive Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Sonic Automotive's Piotroski F-Score can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
SAH vs CARG, MCW, DRVN: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Auto & Truck Dealerships subindustry, Sonic Automotive's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Sonic Automotive Piotroski F-Score vs Vehicles & Parts Industry
For the Vehicles & Parts industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, Sonic Automotive's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Sonic Automotive's Piotroski F-Score falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
Sonic Automotive's current Net Income (TTM) was 109.
==> Positive ==> Score 1.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Sonic Automotive's return on assets of this year was 0.01853396. Sonic Automotive's return on assets of last year was 0.04523264.
==> Last year is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
Sonic Automotive's gearing of this year was 0.35943539. Sonic Automotive's gearing of last year was 0.35528889.
==> Last year is lower than this year ==> Score 0.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Sonic Automotive's current ratio of this year was 1.03109673. Sonic Automotive's current ratio of last year was 1.0917501.
==> Last year's current ratio is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
Sonic Automotive's number of shares in issue this year was 34. Sonic Automotive's number of shares in issue last year was 34.6.
==> There is smaller number of shares in issue this year, or the same. ==> Score 1.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
Sonic Automotive's gross margin of this year was 0.15899097. Sonic Automotive's gross margin of last year was 0.15339921.
==> This year's gross margin is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Sonic Automotive's asset turnover of this year was 2.58536004. Sonic Automotive's asset turnover of last year was 2.67985798.
==> Last year's asset turnover is higher ==> Score 0.
Evaluation
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5
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Sonic Automotive has an F-score of 5 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
Sonic Automotive (SAH) has a Piotroski F-Score of 5 as of Jun. 24, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Sonic Automotive and its competitors. This is near median its historical median of 5.00. Over the past decade, Sonic Automotive's Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 2.00 to 8.00. According to the industry distribution chart, Sonic Automotive ranks #609 out of 1286 companies in the Vehicles & Parts industry, placing it in the top 47.4%.
Is Sonic Automotive's Piotroski F-Score too high?
Sonic Automotive's current Piotroski F-Score of 5 is near median its 10-year median of 5.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 2.00 to a high of 8.00. The Vehicles & Parts industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Sonic Automotive's value of 5 is 0% at this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Sonic Automotive ranks #609 out of 1286 companies in the Vehicles & Parts industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Sonic Automotive has a GF Score™ of 82/100 and is considered Modestly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Sonic Automotive's Piotroski F-Score compare to CARG and MCW?
According to the Vehicles & Parts industry distribution chart, Sonic Automotive ranks #609 out of 1286 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This puts Sonic Automotive in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Sonic Automotive's value of 5 is 0% at this benchmark. Historically, Sonic Automotive's own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 2.00 to 8.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 5.00 vs. the industry median of 5.00, Sonic Automotive has consistently been at the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Piotroski F-Score for a Vehicles & Parts company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Vehicles & Parts companies is 5.00, based on 1,286 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Sonic Automotive's current Piotroski F-Score of 5 is 0% at the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Sonic Automotive and its competitors. For the Vehicles & Parts industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Sonic Automotive's current Piotroski F-Score is 5, which is near median its own 10-year median of 5.00. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Sonic Automotive stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Sonic Automotive (SAH) is currently considered Modestly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $64.31, compared to a current price of $83.62 — trading 30% above its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 5, which is near median its 10-year median of 5.00 and 0% at the Vehicles & Parts industry median of 5.00. Sonic Automotive's overall GF Score™ is 82/100 with 5 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Sonic Automotive (SAH), the current Piotroski F-Score is 5 as of Jun. 24, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Sonic Automotive (SAH) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Sonic Automotive stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $83.62 is trading 30% above its estimated GF Value™ of $64.31.
GuruFocus considers Sonic Automotive to be Modestly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for SAH:
Piotroski F-Score: 5 (near median its 10-year median of 5.00)
GF Value™: $64.31 vs. price of $83.62 (30% above fair value)
Industry Position: 0% at the Vehicles & Parts median (#609 of 1286)
No single metric tells the full story. See the SAH stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Sonic Automotive is one of the largest auto dealership groups in the United States. The company has 107 franchised stores in 18 states, primarily in metropolitan areas in California, Texas, and the Southeast, plus 18 EchoPark used-vehicle stores in 10 states, 16 collision centers, and 20 powersports locations. The franchise stores derive revenue from new and used vehicles plus parts and collision repair, finance, insurance, and wholesale auctions. Luxury and import dealerships make up about 86% of franchise new-vehicle revenue, while Honda, BMW, Mercedes, and Toyota constitute about 56% of new-vehicle revenue. BMW is the largest brand at about 23%. 2025 revenue was $15.2 billion, with Texas and California constituting 51% of the total. EchoPark's portion was $2.1 billion.
82GF Score
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