Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-four research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $342.45.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Saia from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. Rothschild Redb raised shares of Saia to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Saia from $349.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Saia from $305.00 to $374.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saia in a report on Monday, December 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Saia

In other Saia news, Director Donna E. Epps purchased 422 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $277.60 per share, with a total value of $117,147.20. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 1,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $514,115.20. This trade represents a 29.51% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Raymond R. Ramu sold 1,000 shares of Saia stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.57, for a total transaction of $266,570.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 4,902 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,306,726.14. This represents a 16.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Saia

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in shares of Saia by 35.4% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,273,396 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $680,564,000 after acquiring an additional 594,674 shares during the period. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in Saia by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,419,062 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $424,794,000 after purchasing an additional 11,454 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP increased its position in shares of Saia by 67.2% during the 3rd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,383,888 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $414,281,000 after purchasing an additional 556,229 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Saia by 25.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 825,687 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $226,230,000 after buying an additional 166,486 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Saia by 1,300.4% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 701,418 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $209,976,000 after buying an additional 651,332 shares in the last quarter.

Saia Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SAIA opened at $365.68 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $312.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $304.54. Saia has a 52-week low of $229.12 and a 52-week high of $538.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.53 and a beta of 2.09.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The transportation company reported $2.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $839.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $824.06 million. Saia had a return on equity of 11.32% and a net margin of 8.77%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.46 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Saia will post 15.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Saia Company Profile

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.