ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 3,287 Shares of Saia, Inc. $SAIA

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. cut its stake in Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) by 2.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 115,133 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 3,287 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. owned approximately 0.43% of Saia worth $34,467,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Boothbay Fund Management LLC raised its position in shares of Saia by 3.2% during the second quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 1,401 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $384,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its stake in Saia by 21.6% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 248 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Saia by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 1,075 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its position in shares of Saia by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 3,456 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $947,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period.

Saia Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of Saia stock opened at $329.81 on Thursday. Saia, Inc. has a 12-month low of $229.12 and a 12-month high of $538.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.14 and a beta of 2.10. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $299.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $296.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The transportation company reported $2.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.28. Saia had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 11.32%. The firm had revenue of $839.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $824.06 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.46 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Saia, Inc. will post 15.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Saia from $305.00 to $374.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Saia in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Saia from $328.00 to $319.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Susquehanna set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Saia in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Saia from $292.00 to $343.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $335.85.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Raymond R. Ramu sold 1,000 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the vice president owned 4,902 shares in the company, valued at $1,306,726.14. This represents a 16.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Donna E. Epps purchased 422 shares of Saia stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $277.60 per share, for a total transaction of $117,147.20. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,852 shares in the company, valued at $514,115.20. This represents a 29.51% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.