Jefferies Financial Group Issues Positive Forecast for Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) Stock Price

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) had its price objective boosted by Jefferies Financial Group from $500.00 to $550.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets set a $425.00 price objective on Saia in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Evercore set a $435.00 price objective on Saia in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saia in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Saia from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered Saia from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $392.32.

Saia Trading Down 2.3%

NASDAQ:SAIA opened at $431.46 on Wednesday. Saia has a 12-month low of $229.12 and a 12-month high of $451.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 2.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $375.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $340.98.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The transportation company reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.13). Saia had a net margin of 7.89% and a return on equity of 9.86%. The company had revenue of $789.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $773.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.84 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Saia will post 10.6 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Saia

In other Saia news, CEO Frederick J. Holzgrefe III sold 4,775 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $388.80, for a total transaction of $1,856,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 22,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,842,478.40. The trade was a 17.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Raymond R. Ramu sold 5,226 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.95, for a total value of $2,027,426.70. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 3,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,408,646.45. This trade represents a 59.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 15,533 shares of company stock worth $6,015,055 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SAIA. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Saia by 52.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,781 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 612 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of Saia by 334.3% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 873 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $305,000 after buying an additional 672 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Saia by 4.3% in the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 32,543 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,916,000 after buying an additional 1,356 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Saia in the second quarter valued at $11,599,000. Finally, Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Saia in the second quarter valued at $13,943,000.

About Saia

Saia, Inc is a publicly traded transportation company specializing in less-than-truckload (LTL) freight services across North America. Headquartered in Johns Creek, Georgia, the company focuses on the efficient movement of time-sensitive freight for a diverse customer base that spans retail, manufacturing, automotive, and healthcare industries. By leveraging a network of terminals and service centers, Saia provides tailored solutions designed to optimize supply chain performance.

The company’s core offerings include regional, interregional, and national LTL shipping, supported by volumetric LTL and port intermodal services.