Heartland Value Fund has identified Sonic Automotive as an attractively priced small-cap company outside the technology sector, according to its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. The fund repurchased shares of the automotive retailer earlier this year after exiting the position in 2016, citing the profitability and nationwide growth of Sonic's EchoPark used-car operation. EchoPark focuses on one- to four-year-old vehicles and can often price them three thousand dollars below competitors, a strategy the fund believes is well-suited to the current economic climate of higher gas prices and interest rates. Heartland estimates Sonic's earnings per share will reach eight dollars in 2027, up from an estimated seven dollars this year. Sonic Automotive closed at ninety-two dollars and thirty-eight cents per share on July 14, 2026, with a market capitalization of two point nine two billion dollars.
Sonic Automotive IncHeartland Value Fund highlights Sonic as attractively priced and repurchased shares, citing strong EPS growth outlook.