Sonic Automotive (SAH) Earnings: Q3 2026 Results

The quarter ended September 30, 2026 and Sonic Automotive published the results on October 29, 2026. Revenue and diluted EPS are shown against Q3 2025, the same quarter a year earlier, which takes seasonal swings out of the comparison. Sonic Automotive reports EPS two ways: GAAP, under the accounting rules every US filer follows, and adjusted, which leaves out items the company considers outside its operating results. The release reconciles the two, and when they diverge, the reconciliation says why.

• Adjusted EPS excludes a $1.2 million loss on exit of leased dealerships, $0.9 million of storm damage charges and a $1.0 million legal settlement gain, net of tax.
• Diluted EPS fell less than net income because diluted shares fell to 32.2 million from 35.1 million.

Source: Sonic Automotive Q3 2026 results (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1), October 29, 2026. Also in the Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2026. Figures as reported; checked against the release on November 10, 2026.

How Sonic Automotive splits revenue in its own release, under its own labels, for Q3 2026 against Q3 2025. Indented lines are parts of the line above them.

• Sonic Automotive's Franchised Dealerships revenue was $3.3 billion in Q3 2026, down 3% from $3.4 billion in Q3 2025, 82% of total revenue.
• Sonic Automotive's EchoPark revenue was $596 million in Q3 2026, up 14% from $523 million in Q3 2025, 15% of total revenue.
• Sonic Automotive's Powersports revenue was $114 million in Q3 2026, up 35% from $84.1 million in Q3 2025, 3% of total revenue.

Segment lines are the figures writers cite most often, because they show where the growth in a quarter came from. Companies redraw their segments from time to time and restate the prior year to match, so a year-ago figure here can differ from the one printed a year ago. When that has happened, the note above says so.

From the earnings release

Sonic Automotive's outlook is in its investor presentation, filed as Exhibit 99.2 to the same Form 8-K as the release. Earlier outlook figures are shown in parentheses.

In its Q3 2026 release, Sonic Automotive said:

“Anticipate new vehicle GPU in the $3,050 to $3,100 per unit range for FY 2026 (previously $2,850 to $3,000), implies $3,000 to $3,200 per unit in Q4 2026”

“Expect same store fixed operations gross profit growth between 2%-3% in FY 2026 (previously mid single digit percentage growth), implies 1% to 3% growth in Q4 2026”

“Anticipate FY 2026 and Q4 2026 effective income tax rate in the 28.0% to 29.0% range”

“Expect 13.5% to 15% increase in used retail unit sales volume for FY 2026 (previously 12% to 15%), implies Q4 2026 used retail unit sales volume between 18,000-19,000 units”

Source: Sonic Automotive Q3 2026 investor presentation (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.2), Oct 29, 2026.

This is the company's own guidance as of Oct 29, 2026, quoted as given. Walnut does not make forecasts of its own. Analyst estimates for the coming quarters are on the SAH forecast page.

Revenue and diluted EPS for the last 5 quarters. Each date links to that quarter's release.

Total revenues and diluted EPS, each as first reported in that quarter's release.

We do not hold a confirmed date for Sonic Automotive's next report. Companies post the date on their investor relations site a few weeks ahead, usually with the time of the conference call.

Each quarter keeps its own page with the figures as reported, so a link to one stays pointed at the same numbers after the next report.

• Q3 2026 (this page), reported Oct 29, 2026

Sonic Automotive's Q3 2026 total revenues were $3,988.8 million, against $3,973.8 million a year earlier, which Sonic called an all-time quarterly record. Franchised Dealerships brought in $3,279.1 million, down 3%; EchoPark, its used-vehicle stores, $596.0 million, up 14%; and Powersports $113.7 million, up 35%. (Sonic Automotive Q3 2026 release, Oct 29, 2026)

By line, new vehicles were $1,782.0 million, down 6%, and used vehicles $1,381.2 million, up 10%. Parts, service and collision repair brought in $543.3 million and finance, insurance and other $202.2 million. In Franchised Dealerships, parts, service and collision repair ($265.4 million) and F&I ($142.6 million) made up most of the segment's $529.3 million gross profit, against $121.3 million from vehicles. (Sonic Automotive Q3 2026 release, Oct 29, 2026)

In Franchised Dealerships, same store retail new vehicle unit sales volume fell 7% while gross profit per unit was flat at $3,000. Same store used units rose 3%, Fixed Operations gross profit rose 1% with a margin of 51.4%, and F&I gross profit per retail unit was $2,630. Sonic's president cited a challenging consumer affordability environment. (Sonic Automotive Q3 2026 release, Oct 29, 2026)

Luxury brands made up 63% of Franchised Dealerships new vehicle revenues in 2025, led by BMW at 23% and Mercedes at 13%, with Honda at 11% and Toyota at 9%. EchoPark's retail used unit sales rose 22% to 19,923, while its combined gross profit per unit fell 12% to $2,972. (Sonic Automotive Form 10-K, 2025, Feb 23, 2026; Sonic Automotive Q3 2026 release, Oct 29, 2026)

Sonic Automotive's diluted EPS fell 4% to $1.28 in Q3 2026 from $1.33, and adjusted EPS fell 8% to $1.30 from $1.41. Net income was $41.1 million, down 12%. Adjusted figures exclude a loss on exit of leased dealerships, storm damage charges and legal settlements, $1.1 million of pre-tax adjustments in all. (Sonic Automotive Q3 2026 release, Oct 29, 2026)

SG&A expenses rose to $466.8 million, or 75.6% of gross profit, from $451.6 million. Floor plan interest was $24.4 million and other interest $30.6 million, against $23.9 million and $27.5 million a year earlier. The tax provision was $16.4 million on pre-tax income of $57.5 million. (Sonic Automotive Q3 2026 release, Oct 29, 2026)

Diluted weighted-average shares fell to 32.2 million from 35.1 million. Sonic did not repurchase any shares in Q3 2026; over the first nine months it repurchased 2.2 million shares for $142.0 million and had $527.9 million of remaining authorization at September 30, 2026. (Sonic Automotive Q3 2026 release, Oct 29, 2026; Sonic Automotive Form 10-Q, Q3 2026, Oct 29, 2026)

Diluted EPS divides net income by the weighted average number of shares outstanding in the quarter, plus the shares that options and other equity awards could add. Buybacks shrink that count and lift EPS for the same profit; share issuance and stock awards enlarge it.

Sonic Automotive gives an annual outlook by segment in its investor presentation. For FY 2026 it raised its new vehicle gross profit per unit range to $3,050 to $3,100 (previously $2,850 to $3,000), cut its same store fixed operations gross profit growth to 2%-3% from mid single digits, and expects an effective income tax rate of 28.0% to 29.0%. (Sonic Automotive Q3 2026 investor presentation, Oct 29, 2026)

For EchoPark it expects a 13.5% to 15% increase in used retail unit sales volume in FY 2026, implying 18,000-19,000 units in Q4 2026, and adjusted EBITDA between $42-$45 million, which includes $5-$7 million of incremental advertising in Q4 2026 for a new store opening and brand marketing. Sonic's president said the Orlando market opening was weeks away. (Sonic Automotive Q3 2026 investor presentation, Oct 29, 2026; Sonic Automotive Q3 2026 release, Oct 29, 2026)

A consensus figure is the average of the models published by the analysts who cover Sonic Automotive, collected by a data provider and revised up to the day of the report. A quarter that lands above it says how expectations were set as much as how the business did, and the share price on the day also reflects the guidance and the lines no consensus covers.

The consensus figures on this page are Yahoo Finance's, as pulled on the date shown. Each comes with the number of analysts behind it; the smaller that number, the more one revised estimate can move the average.

The figures below are the ones Sonic Automotive's own release and filings put weight on for Q3 2026, with the latest reported value for each.

What the quarter means for a holding is a separate question from what it reported. The case for and against owning SAH is on is SAH a buy or a sell?, what analysts expect next is on the SAH forecast, and what the company does is on the Sonic Automotive (SAH) stock page.

Every number on this page can be traced to a document Sonic Automotive published. Checking one takes a couple of minutes, and it is worth doing before you quote a figure anywhere.

• The results release is the document linked in the source line above. Companies publish it on their investor relations site at the moment results go out, and it carries the headline tables: revenue, operating income, net income and EPS for the quarter and the year-ago quarter.
• The same release is filed with the SEC as Exhibit 99.1 to a Form 8-K under Item 2.02, usually on the day of the report. The SEC copy does not change after the fact, which makes it the safer thing to link when you cite a number.
• The quarterly report (Form 10-Q) follows within a few weeks and carries the full financial statements, the segment note and management's discussion of what changed. The fourth quarter is covered by the annual report (Form 10-K) instead.
• Restated comparisons are flagged in the notes on this page. When a company redraws its segments or changes how it adjusts EPS, it restates the year-ago column, so the year-ago figure in a new release can differ from the one printed a year ago. This page always uses the comparison in the newer release, because that is the like-for-like one.

A walk-through of every line in a release, with what each one tells you, is in how to read an earnings report.