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Side-by-side financial comparison of SONIC AUTOMOTIVE INC (SAH) and Steel Dynamics (STLD). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Steel Dynamics is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($5.2B vs $3.9B, roughly 1.3× SONIC AUTOMOTIVE INC). Steel Dynamics runs the higher net margin — 7.7% vs 1.2%, a 6.5% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Steel Dynamics posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (17.9% vs -0.6%). Over the past eight quarters, SONIC AUTOMOTIVE INC's revenue compounded faster (7.0% CAGR vs 6.0%).
Sonic Automotive is a Fortune 500 company based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the fifth largest automotive retailer in the United States as measured by total revenues. The company was founded by O Bruton Smith and completed its initial public offering on the NYSE in 1997.
Steel Dynamics, Inc. (SDI) is an American steel producer based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. With a production capacity of 13 million tons of steel, the company is the third largest producer of carbon steel products in the United States. It is among the most profitable American steel companies in terms of profit margins and operating margin per ton. Based on its 2021 revenue, the company ranked 196th on the 2022 edition of the Fortune 500.
SAH vs STLD — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $3.9B | $5.2B |
| Net Profit | $46.9M | $400.1M |
| Gross Margin | 15.5% | 14.7% |
| Operating Margin | 3.2% | 10.3% |
| Net Margin | 1.2% | 7.7% |
| Revenue YoY | -0.6% | 17.9% |
| Net Profit YoY | -20.0% | 51.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $1.39 | $2.78 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q1 26 | — | $5.2B | ||
| Q4 25 | $3.9B | $4.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | $4.0B | $4.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.7B | $4.6B | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.7B | $4.4B | ||
| Q4 24 | $3.9B | $3.9B | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.5B | $4.3B | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.5B | $4.6B |
| Q1 26 | — | $400.1M | ||
| Q4 25 | $46.9M | $266.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $46.8M | $403.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-45.6M | $298.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $70.6M | $217.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $58.6M | $207.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $74.2M | $317.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $41.2M | $428.0M |
| Q1 26 | — | 14.7% | ||
| Q4 25 | 15.5% | 12.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 15.5% | 15.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 16.5% | 13.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | 15.5% | 11.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 14.7% | 11.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 15.6% | 13.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 15.6% | 16.7% |
| Q1 26 | — | 10.3% | ||
| Q4 25 | 3.2% | 7.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.1% | 10.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | -0.6% | 8.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.0% | 6.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.4% | 6.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.3% | 9.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.1% | 12.1% |
| Q1 26 | — | 7.7% | ||
| Q4 25 | 1.2% | 6.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.2% | 8.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | -1.2% | 6.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.9% | 5.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.5% | 5.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.1% | 7.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.2% | 9.2% |
| Q1 26 | — | $2.78 | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.39 | $1.80 | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.33 | $2.74 | ||
| Q2 25 | $-1.34 | $2.01 | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.04 | $1.44 | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.67 | $1.40 | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.13 | $2.05 | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.18 | $2.72 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $6.3M | $556.5M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $1.6B | $4.2B |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $1.1B | $9.0B |
| Total Assets | $6.0B | $16.7B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 1.51× | 0.47× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $556.5M | ||
| Q4 25 | $6.3M | $769.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $89.4M | $770.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $110.4M | $497.6M | ||
| Q1 25 | $64.6M | $1.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $44.0M | $737.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $17.6M | $1.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $67.2M | $1.2B |
| Q1 26 | — | $4.2B | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.6B | $4.2B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.5B | $3.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.5B | $3.8B | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.6B | $4.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.6B | $3.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.7B | $3.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.7B | $3.1B |
| Q1 26 | — | $9.0B | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.1B | $9.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.1B | $9.0B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.0B | $8.9B | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.1B | $8.8B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.1B | $8.9B | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.0B | $9.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | $944.7M | $9.1B |
| Q1 26 | — | $16.7B | ||
| Q4 25 | $6.0B | $16.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | $6.0B | $16.0B | ||
| Q2 25 | $5.9B | $15.5B | ||
| Q1 25 | $5.9B | $15.9B | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.9B | $14.9B | ||
| Q3 24 | $5.8B | $15.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.8B | $15.1B |
| Q1 26 | — | 0.47× | ||
| Q4 25 | 1.51× | 0.47× | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.39× | 0.42× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.48× | 0.43× | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.44× | 0.48× | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.49× | 0.36× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.67× | 0.41× | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.81× | 0.34× |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $66.9M | $148.3M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $-195.6M | — |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | -5.1% | — |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 6.8% | — |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 1.43× | 0.37× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $192.3M | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $148.3M | ||
| Q4 25 | $66.9M | $272.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $167.9M | $722.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $136.8M | $301.6M | ||
| Q1 25 | $195.8M | $152.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $87.7M | $346.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $87.8M | $759.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-136.4M | $382.6M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $-195.6M | $84.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $134.4M | $556.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $102.7M | $13.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $150.8M | $-152.9M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-245.5M | $-106.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $34.5M | $138.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-185.2M | $-36.6M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | -5.1% | 1.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.4% | 11.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.8% | 0.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.1% | -3.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | -6.3% | -2.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.0% | 3.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | -5.4% | -0.8% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 6.8% | 4.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.8% | 3.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.9% | 6.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.2% | 7.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 8.6% | 11.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.5% | 14.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.4% | 9.0% |
| Q1 26 | — | 0.37× | ||
| Q4 25 | 1.43× | 1.03× | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.59× | 1.79× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 1.01× | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.77× | 0.70× | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.50× | 1.67× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.18× | 2.39× | ||
| Q2 24 | -3.31× | 0.89× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
SAH
| Retail New Vehicles | $1.9B | 48% |
| Other | $1.2B | 31% |
| Parts Serviceand Collision Repair | $515.2M | 13% |
| Finance Insurance And Other Net | $202.2M | 5% |
| Wholesale Vehicles | $63.9M | 2% |
| Fleet New Vehicles | $24.0M | 1% |
STLD
| Steel | $3.5B | 68% |
| Metals Recycling | $593.2M | 11% |
| Other | $490.1M | 9% |
| Steel Fabrication | $355.4M | 7% |
| Aluminum | $227.4M | 4% |
