Wall Street Zen Upgrades Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) to Hold

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on SAIA. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Saia from $413.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Saia from $310.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $493.00 price target on shares of Saia in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Saia in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Saia from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Saia currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $381.00.

Saia Stock Performance

SAIA opened at $434.22 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $373.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $338.26. Saia has a 52-week low of $229.12 and a 52-week high of $445.08. The company has a market cap of $11.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.61, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 2.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Saia

In other news, CFO Matthew J. Batteh sold 916 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $389.03, for a total value of $356,351.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 4,444 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,728,849.32. This represents a 17.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Frederick J. Holzgrefe III sold 4,775 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $388.80, for a total transaction of $1,856,520.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,842,478.40. The trade was a 17.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 15,533 shares of company stock valued at $6,015,055. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Saia by 52.4% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,781 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $622,000 after buying an additional 612 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in Saia by 334.3% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 873 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $305,000 after acquiring an additional 672 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in Saia by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 32,543 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,916,000 after acquiring an additional 1,356 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new position in Saia during the 2nd quarter valued at about $11,599,000. Finally, Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC purchased a new position in Saia during the 2nd quarter valued at about $13,943,000.

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.