Royce & Associates LP Acquires 81,480 Shares of Saia, Inc. $SAIA

Royce & Associates LP grew its stake in shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) by 202.8% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 121,658 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 81,480 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP’s holdings in Saia were worth $40,602,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. King Luther Capital Management Corp boosted its stake in Saia by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 6,975 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,328,000 after purchasing an additional 662 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Saia during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,508,000. Narwhal Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of Saia by 159.2% in the third quarter. Narwhal Capital Management now owns 6,132 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,046,000 after buying an additional 3,766 shares during the last quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Saia by 3.8% in the third quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC now owns 25,581 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,537,000 after buying an additional 944 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fulcrum Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Saia during the third quarter worth $31,000.

Saia Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SAIA traded up $11.33 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $342.29. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 248,192 shares, compared to its average volume of 400,209. Saia, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $249.32 and a fifty-two week high of $494.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.83. The firm has a market cap of $9.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 2.09. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $341.15 and its 200-day moving average is $387.00.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The transportation company reported $3.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.30 by $0.11. Saia had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 10.53%. The business had revenue of $982.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $966.98 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.81 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Saia, Inc. will post 11.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on SAIA. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saia in a report on Friday, October 30th. Stephens reduced their target price on Saia from $520.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group reduced their target price on Saia from $504.00 to $430.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $476.00 price target on shares of Saia in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Saia in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $432.26.

About Saia

Saia, Inc. is a transportation company best known for its less-than-truckload (LTL) freight services, which combine shipments from multiple customers in a single truck. Its offerings include regional and interregional freight transportation, expedited and guaranteed services, and logistics solutions. Founded in 1924 in Houma, Louisiana, Saia has grown from a regional carrier into a network serving the contiguous United States. The company is headquartered in Johns Creek, Georgia, and also arranges service to Canada and Mexico through its transportation network and partners.