Sonic Automotive [SAH] vs CarMax [KMX] Detailed Stock Comparison

TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 21 vital metrics comparison: Sonic Automotive Inc. wins in 13 metrics, CarMax Inc. wins in 7 metrics, with 0 ties. Sonic Automotive Inc. appears stronger overall.

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Vital Metrics Comparison

Metric Sonic Automotive Inc. CarMax Inc. Better
P/E Ratio (TTM) 19.90 22.95 Sonic Automotive Inc.
Price-to-Book Ratio 2.14 0.93 CarMax Inc.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio 395.85 318.18 CarMax Inc.
PEG Ratio -1.04 -0.09 CarMax Inc.
EV/EBITDA 9.50 23.20 Sonic Automotive Inc.
Profit Margin (TTM) 0.78% 0.89% CarMax Inc.
Operating Margin (TTM) 3.33% 1.81% Sonic Automotive Inc.
EBITDA Margin (TTM) 3.33% 1.81% Sonic Automotive Inc.
Return on Equity 11.14% 4.08% Sonic Automotive Inc.
Return on Assets (TTM) 5.39% 1.61% Sonic Automotive Inc.
Free Cash Flow (TTM) $417.50M $1.24B CarMax Inc.
Dividend Yield 2.44% N/A N/A
1-Year Return 18.15% -30.78% Sonic Automotive Inc.
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) 0.15 0.20 Sonic Automotive Inc.
Enterprise Value $6.21B $24.08B CarMax Inc.
EV/Revenue Ratio 0.41 0.87 Sonic Automotive Inc.
Gross Profit Margin (TTM) 15.47% 10.18% Sonic Automotive Inc.
Revenue per Share (TTM) $446 $188 Sonic Automotive Inc.
Earnings per Share (Diluted) $3.42 $1.68 Sonic Automotive Inc.
Beta (Stock Volatility) 0.83 1.30 Sonic Automotive Inc.
Short % of Float 22.42% 12.25% CarMax Inc.

Sonic Automotive Inc. vs CarMax Inc. Stock Performance Analysis

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Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
Sonic Automotive Inc.-0.55%5.71%12.70%34.41%32.00%34.04%
CarMax Inc.4.78%8.07%19.09%5.05%13.46%11.78%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
Sonic Automotive Inc.18.15%89.45%73.46%387.15%556.76%248.17%
CarMax Inc.-30.78%-40.24%-60.88%-13.43%59.70%180.63%

Performance & Financial Health Analysis: Sonic Automotive Inc. vs CarMax Inc.

MetricSAHKMX
Market Information
Market Cap i$2.29B$5.43B
Market Cap CategoryMid capMid cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i264,2604,899,373
90 Day Avg. Volume i366,9603,603,631
Last Close$61.06$46.03
52 Week Range$52.00 - $89.62$30.26 - $71.99
% from 52W High-31.87%-36.06%
All-Time High$89.38 (Jul 15, 2025)$155.98 (Nov 08, 2021)
% from All-Time High-31.68%-70.49%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth-0.01%-0.01%
Quarterly Earnings Growth-0.20%-0.01%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.01%0.01%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.03%0.02%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.11%0.04%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i395.85318.18
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$31.81$41.53
Cash per Share (MRQ)$9.13$0.87
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$567.40M$1.78B
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$319.89M$-88,674,248
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i2.44%N/A
Last 12-Month Dividend i$1.49N/A

Valuation & Enterprise Metrics Analysis: Sonic Automotive Inc. vs CarMax Inc.

MetricSAH (Apr 13, 2026)KMX (Apr 26, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i19.9022.95
Forward P/E i9.4612.19
PEG Ratio i-1.04-0.09
Price to Sales (TTM) i0.150.20
Price to Book (MRQ) i2.140.93
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$2.29B$5.43B
Enterprise Value i$6.21B$24.08B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i0.410.87
Enterprise to EBITDA i9.5023.20
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i0.831.30
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$31.81$41.53

Financial Statements Comparison: Sonic Automotive Inc. vs CarMax Inc.

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

Operating Margin

Profit Margin

Long Term Debt

Income Flow Analysis

Financial Statements Comparison

Income Statement

MetricSAH (2025)KMX (2026)
Revenue/Sales i15.15B25.88B
Cost of Goods Sold i12.77B23.07B
COGS % of Revenue i84.3%89.2%
Gross Profit i2.38B2.81B
Gross Margin i15.7%10.8%
Research & Development iN/AN/A
Operating Income (EBIT) i541.30M-409.76M
Operating Margin i3.6%-1.6%
EBITDA i699.20M1.75B
EBITDA Margin i4.6%6.8%
Pre-Tax Income i172.80M383.43M
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i1.1%1.5%
Income Tax i54.10M136.14M
Income Tax % of Revenue i0.4%0.5%
Net Income (Profit) i118.70M247.29M
Profit Margin i0.8%1.0%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricSAH (2025)KMX (2026)
Cash & Equivalents i6.30M122.83M
Total Current Assets i2.83B5.31B
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i18.7%20.5%
Total Current Liabilities i2.60B2.41B
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i17.1%9.3%
Long-Term Debt i2.19B17.73B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i14.5%68.5%
Total Shareholders Equity i1.07B5.89B
Retained Earnings i1.48B4.04B
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i9.8%15.6%
Property, Plant & Equipment i605.50M679.32M

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricSAH (2025)KMX (2026)
Operating Cash Flow i368.20M1.18B
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i2.4%4.5%
Capital Expenditures i-68.30M418,000
Free Cash Flow i417.50M1.24B
FCF Margin i2.8%4.8%
Debt Repayment i-245.00M-15.28B
Common Stock Repurchase i-82.40M-642.79M

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricSAHKMX
Shares Short i2.60M15.09M
Short Ratio i6.294.81
Short % of Float i22.42%12.25%
Shares Outstanding i33.58M141.80M
Float Shares i13.83M133.15M
% Held by Insiders i35.89%0.45%
% Held by Institutions i71.30%108.06%
% Held by Public i-7.19%-8.51%

Dividend Analysis & Yield Comparison: Sonic Automotive Inc. vs CarMax Inc.

MetricSAHKMX
Last 12-Month Dividend i$1.49N/A
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i2.44%N/A
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend i$1.32N/A
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield i0.56%N/A
3-Year Total Dividends i$3.97N/A
Ex-Dividend DateMar 13, 2026N/A