SAHSonic Automotive, Inc.
Is it safe?
Strong, no red flags: clean books and insiders buying.
Mixed, watch the balance sheet Altman Z-score, a bankruptcy-risk model from five balance-sheet ratios.
Reported earnings show no manipulation flags Beneish M-score, a forensic model that detects earnings-manipulation patterns (receivables outrunning sales, margins slipping, accrual-heavy profit).
Mixed fundamental signals Piotroski F-score, nine pass/fail tests of year-over-year financial health across profitability, balance sheet and efficiency. 7 to 9 is strong, 0 to 3 weak.
Insiders were net buyers (+$3.0M, 90 days to Oct 8, 2026). SEC Form 4 filings: officers and directors must report their own trades within two business days.
Investment-grade balance sheet. A rule of thumb on leverage, not a credit rating.
Moderate price swings, typical volatility. Worst drawdown -71% · now 42% below its 52-week high.
Unless marked, from SEC EDGAR, as of Dec 31, 2025.
Against the whole market›
Percentile against every name Ryufin tracks. Higher is better; the tick marks the middle of the market. Context, not one of the checks above.
Where this answer is blind. Altman sits structurally low for utilities and pipelines; Beneish runs high for fast growers, since sales growth alone lifts it; banks and REITs are excluded.
Can SAH take a bad year?
Sonic Automotive, Inc. carries $1.74B of net debt at 2.59× EBITDA: a load its earnings can carry.
Net debt · as at Q2 2026 · between two and four years of EBITDA, normal for a stable business
- Net debt / EBITDA
- 2.59×
Net debt / EBITDA
- Altman Z-score
- 3.46
Altman Z-score · safe zone, above 3
- Cash runway
- 0.1 years
Cash runway · burning $70M a quarter at the current rate
Details›
- Total debtQ2 2026
- $1.76B
- Cash and short-term investments
- $19M
- Net debt
- $1.74B
- EBITDA, trailing twelve months
- $672M
- Operating profit, trailing twelve months
- $510M
- Debt / equity
- 1.72×
- Total debt / EBITDA
- 2.62×
- Annualised volatilitytwo years of daily moves
- 43%
- Worst drawdown on file
- −71%
- Below its 52-week high
- 42%
Balance sheet from SEC filings; drawdown and volatility from end-of-day closes; Altman Z from the filed statements.
Auto & Truck Dealerships
Ranks #4 of 13 by RyuScore