For the quarter ended March 2026, Sonic Automotive (SAH Quick QuoteSAH - Free Report) reported revenue of $3.69 billion, up 1% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $1.62, compared to $1.48 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of -1.41% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.74 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $1.46, the EPS surprise was +11.34%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.

Here is how Sonic Automotive performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Franchised Dealerships Segment - Same Store - Unit Sales Volume - Used vehicles: 25,636 versus 25,394 estimated by two analysts on average.
• Franchised Dealerships Segment - Same Store - Unit Sales Volume - Total new vehicles: 25,042 versus the two-analyst average estimate of 26,943.
• Franchised Dealerships Segment - Gross Profit Per Unit - New vehicles: $3,120.00 compared to the $2,975.72 average estimate based on two analysts.
• Franchised Dealerships Segment - Gross Profit Per Unit - Used vehicles: $1,539.00 versus $1,418.01 estimated by two analysts on average.
• Revenues- Franchised Dealerships: $3.07 billion compared to the $3.12 billion average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of +0.3% year over year.
• Revenues- Franchised Dealerships Segment- Same Store- Used vehicles: $746.2 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $750.42 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +2%.
• Revenues- Franchised Dealerships Segment- Total new vehicles: $1.61 billion versus $1.68 billion estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -3.2% change.
• Revenues- Franchised Dealerships Segment- Used vehicles: $768.7 million compared to the $779.94 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of +3.1% year over year.
• Revenues- Franchised Dealerships Segment- Parts, service and collision repair: $509.3 million compared to the $500.2 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of +9% year over year.
• Revenues- Franchised Dealerships Segment- Finance, insurance and other, net: $139.3 million compared to the $141.73 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of +6.7% year over year.
• Revenues- EchoPark Segment- Used vehicles: $491.8 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $464.06 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +3.8%.
• Revenues- EchoPark Segment- Finance, insurance and other, net: $61.4 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $59.47 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +4.6%.

View all Key Company Metrics for Sonic Automotive here>>>

Shares of Sonic Automotive have returned +12.4% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +12.2% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.