Ameriprise Financial Inc. Acquires 153,896 Shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA - Free Report) by 76.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 355,929 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 153,896 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned approximately 1.34% of Saia worth $162,213,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Saia by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 68,474 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $31,633,000 after purchasing an additional 3,886 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Saia by 148.0% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 367 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $167,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Saia in the fourth quarter worth $301,000. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Saia by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,110 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $506,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its stake in Saia by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 1,267 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $577,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on SAIA. Stifel Nicolaus set a $277.00 price target on shares of Saia in a report on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Saia from $400.00 to $260.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Saia from $415.00 to $298.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Cowen reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Saia in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on Saia from $456.00 to $478.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Saia currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $342.58.

Saia Price Performance

SAIA traded up $25.94 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $286.56. The stock had a trading volume of 401,586 shares, compared to its average volume of 489,225. The company has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 2.03. Saia, Inc. has a 1 year low of $229.12 and a 1 year high of $624.55. The business has a fifty day moving average of $330.05 and a 200 day moving average of $436.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The transportation company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.77 by ($0.91). The business had revenue of $787.58 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $806.18 million. Saia had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 16.63%. Saia's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.38 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Saia, Inc. will post 15.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Matthew J. Batteh sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.09, for a total transaction of $350,063.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 3,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,663,299.34. The trade was a 17.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Kelly W. Benton sold 460 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $230,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,287 shares in the company, valued at $2,143,500. The trade was a 9.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Saia

Saia, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a transportation company in North America. The company provides less-than-truckload services for shipments between 100 and 10,000 pounds; and other value-added services, including non-asset truckload, expedited, and logistics services. It also offers other value-added services, including non-asset truckload, expedited, and logistics services.