Sonic Automotive's stock surged 5.27% during intraday trading on Wednesday, following the release of its fourth-quarter financial results.

The automotive retailer reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.52 for the quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.50. This profit beat comes despite the company's revenue of $3.87 billion falling short of the $3.95 billion consensus estimate.

The stronger-than-expected profitability indicates effective cost management and operational performance, which appears to have driven positive investor sentiment and the stock's significant intraday gain.