Sonic Automotive Inc (SAH) — Cash Flow Quality Index

Latest as of March 2026: 0.58x

Sonic Automotive Inc (SAH) has a Cash Flow Quality Index of 0.58x as of March 2026. Operating cash flow of $35.50 Million is below net income of $60.80 Million, suggesting accrual-heavy earnings not yet converted to cash. Explore cash flow to debt ratio of Sonic Automotive Inc to assess how comfortably operating cash covers total debt obligations.

Cash Flow Quality Index

0.58x
Operating CF / Net Income

Operating Cash Flow

$35.50 Million
USD

Net Income

$60.80 Million
USD

Data as of

Mar 2026
Most recent filing

Sonic Automotive Inc Cash Flow Quality Index (1996–2025)

Historical Cash Flow Quality Index for Sonic Automotive Inc across 28 annual periods. Values consistently above 1.0x indicate high-quality earnings. For the full cash flow conversion analysis, see cash flow conversion of Sonic Automotive Inc.

Annual Cash Flow Quality Index for Sonic Automotive Inc (1996–2025)

Year-by-year earnings quality comparison for Sonic Automotive Inc.

Year Quality Index Operating CF (USD) Net Income YoY Change
2025 4.78x $567.40 Million $118.70 Million ▲ +956.8%
2024 0.45x $97.70 Million $216.00 Million ▲ +252.4%
2023 -0.30x $-52.90 Million $178.20 Million ▼ -106.5%
2022 4.59x $406.10 Million $88.50 Million ▲ +422.7%
2021 0.88x $306.30 Million $348.90 Million ▼ -26.0%
2019 1.19x $170.91 Million $144.14 Million ▼ -51.1%
2018 2.42x $126.84 Million $52.34 Million ▲ +9.0%
2017 2.22x $209.18 Million $94.07 Million ▼ -19.0%
2016 2.74x $259.30 Million $94.46 Million ▲ +315.6%
2015 -1.27x $-112.13 Million $88.06 Million ▼ -196.2%
2014 1.32x $130.06 Million $98.25 Million ▲ +10.6%
2013 1.20x $100.61 Million $84.08 Million ▲ +142.4%
2012 -2.82x $-253.55 Million $89.88 Million ▼ -232.4%
2011 2.13x $163.44 Million $76.69 Million ▼ -20.6%
2010 2.68x $255.04 Million $95.00 Million ▼ -63.0%
2009 7.26x $403.58 Million $55.61 Million ▲ +2347.5%
2007 0.30x $34.05 Million $114.84 Million ▲ +147.2%
2006 -0.63x $-61.86 Million $98.57 Million ▼ -174.5%
2005 0.84x $85.76 Million $101.79 Million ▼ -70.2%
2004 2.83x $264.10 Million $93.28 Million ▲ +46.9%
2003 1.93x $137.95 Million $71.56 Million ▲ +47.9%
2002 1.30x $138.88 Million $106.56 Million ▼ -29.5%
2001 1.85x $146.55 Million $79.33 Million ▲ +29.0%
2000 1.43x $106.20 Million $74.17 Million ▲ +38.5%
1999 1.03x $46.10 Million $44.60 Million ▼ -35.5%
1998 1.60x $29.80 Million $18.60 Million ▼ -23.0%
1997 2.08x $7.70 Million $3.70 Million ▲ +197.3%
1996 0.70x $2.10 Million $3.00 Million
Cash Flow Quality Index = Operating Cash Flow / Net Income. Ratios above 1.0x indicate cash-backed earnings.