Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) Reaches New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $462.39 and last traded at $458.8350, with a volume of 229742 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $431.42.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SAIA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of Saia in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Saia from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of Saia from $414.00 to $445.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Saia from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Benchmark raised their price objective on Saia from $425.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $444.94.

Saia Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $12.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 2.12. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $387.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $353.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The transportation company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.04. Saia had a return on equity of 9.60% and a net margin of 7.84%.The company had revenue of $806.23 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $789.08 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Saia, Inc. will post 11.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Saia

In other news, CFO Matthew J. Batteh sold 916 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $389.03, for a total transaction of $356,351.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 4,444 shares in the company, valued at $1,728,849.32. The trade was a 17.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Frederick J. Holzgrefe III sold 4,775 shares of Saia stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $388.80, for a total value of $1,856,520.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,842,478.40. The trade was a 17.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 14,423 shares of company stock worth $5,598,017. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saia

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quarry LP increased its stake in Saia by 8,400.0% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 85 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Saia during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Saia in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Saia in the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Saia by 69.0% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 142 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter.

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.