Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-two brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $379.4737.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SAIA. Barclays increased their price target on Saia from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore set a $435.00 price objective on Saia in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed a “peer perform” rating on shares of Saia in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Bank of America increased their target price on Saia from $413.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Saia from $431.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th.

Saia Stock Up 3.4%

Shares of NASDAQ SAIA opened at $329.48 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.61, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 2.04. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $368.54 and its 200 day moving average is $329.33. Saia has a 52 week low of $229.12 and a 52 week high of $430.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 1.64.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Saia news, CFO Matthew J. Batteh sold 1,110 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $375.71, for a total value of $417,038.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 5,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,013,805.60. This represents a 17.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Patrick D. Sugar sold 2,706 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.74, for a total transaction of $1,046,518.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,527,455.54. The trade was a 22.88% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 15,533 shares of company stock worth $6,015,055 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Saia

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SAIA. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in Saia by 35.4% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,273,396 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $680,564,000 after purchasing an additional 594,674 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of Saia by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,798,841 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $587,358,000 after buying an additional 43,690 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of Saia by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,419,062 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $424,794,000 after buying an additional 11,454 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP increased its stake in shares of Saia by 67.2% in the third quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,383,888 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $414,281,000 after buying an additional 556,229 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Saia by 31.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 923,912 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $301,676,000 after buying an additional 222,494 shares during the period.

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.