Alliancebernstein L.P. Increases Position in Saia, Inc. $SAIA

Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) by 35.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,273,396 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 594,674 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 8.53% of Saia worth $680,564,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Saia by 52.4% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,781 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $622,000 after purchasing an additional 612 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of Saia by 334.3% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Saia by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,238 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $339,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its position in shares of Saia by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 10,104 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,768,000 after buying an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its stake in shares of Saia by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 6,843 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,875,000 after acquiring an additional 486 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity at Saia

In other Saia news, CFO Matthew J. Batteh sold 1,110 shares of Saia stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $375.71, for a total transaction of $417,038.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 5,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,013,805.60. This trade represents a 17.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Kelly W. Benton sold 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $389.00, for a total value of $311,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,157 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,228,073. This trade represents a 20.22% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 15,533 shares of company stock valued at $6,015,055 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SAIA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Saia from $431.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Benchmark upped their price target on Saia from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wolfe Research reiterated a “peer perform” rating on shares of Saia in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley cut 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Saia from $310.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $379.47.

Saia Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SAIA opened at $321.00 on Friday. Saia, Inc. has a twelve month low of $229.12 and a twelve month high of $430.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a market cap of $8.56 billion, a PE ratio of 33.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 2.04. The company’s 50 day moving average is $373.08 and its 200 day moving average is $327.87.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The transportation company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.90 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $789.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $773.82 million. Saia had a net margin of 7.89% and a return on equity of 9.86%. The firm’s revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.84 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Saia, Inc. will post 15.46 EPS for the current year.

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.