Citigroup Issues Positive Forecast for Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) Stock Price

Key Points

• Citigroup raised its Saia price target from $429 to $434 and maintained a “buy” rating, implying 25.94% upside from the previous close.
• Saia reported strong quarterly results, with revenue rising 17% year over year to $982.45 million and EPS of $3.41 exceeding analyst estimates.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with 14 buy ratings and a consensus target of $435.89, though Wells Fargo lowered its target and rising operating costs continue to pressure margins.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by investment analysts at Citigroup from $429.00 to $434.00 in a research note issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the transportation company's stock. Citigroup's price objective suggests a potential upside of 25.94% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on SAIA. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Saia in a report on Monday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $476.00 target price on shares of Saia in a report on Thursday, July 30th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Saia from $527.00 to $504.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Stephens dropped their target price on shares of Saia from $520.00 to $490.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Saia from $400.00 to $370.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $435.89.

Saia Price Performance

Shares of SAIA traded up $1.54 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $344.61. The company had a trading volume of 560,546 shares, compared to its average volume of 464,325. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The company has a market capitalization of $9.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 2.19. Saia has a twelve month low of $249.32 and a twelve month high of $494.71. The company's 50-day moving average is $342.33 and its 200-day moving average is $387.61.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The transportation company reported $3.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.30 by $0.11. Saia had a return on equity of 10.21% and a net margin of 8.19%. The business had revenue of $982.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $966.98 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.81 EPS. Saia's quarterly revenue was up 17.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Saia will post 11.43 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Saia during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,789,000. Montag A & Associates Inc. bought a new position in Saia in the first quarter worth approximately $1,505,000. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc boosted its holdings in Saia by 32.9% in the first quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 19,040 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $6,688,000 after acquiring an additional 4,717 shares in the last quarter. London Co. of Virginia grew its stake in Saia by 10.5% in the first quarter. London Co. of Virginia now owns 86,774 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $30,484,000 after acquiring an additional 8,255 shares during the period. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in Saia by 23.1% in the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 30,917 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $10,861,000 after acquiring an additional 5,810 shares during the period.

Key Stories Impacting Saia

Here are the key news stories impacting Saia this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations: Saia reported record third-quarter revenue of $982.5 million, up 17% year over year, and diluted EPS of $3.41, topping analyst estimates near $3.30–$3.31. Operating income rose 3.1% to $122.3 million. Saia Q3 earnings and revenues top estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion is contributing to growth: Record LTL tonnage per workday increased 8.9%, while revenue per shipment excluding fuel surcharges rose 5.8%, suggesting network expansion, pricing and mix improvements are helping Saia gain volume and market share. Saia expansion terminals deliver improved Q3 results
• Positive Sentiment: $250 million buyback authorized: The repurchase program signals management’s confidence in Saia’s cash generation and could support per-share results. Year-to-date free cash flow exceeded $240 million, while the company ended the quarter with $202.5 million of cash and $100 million of debt. Saia reports Q3 revenue and announces repurchase program
• Neutral Sentiment: Board strengthened: Transportation and logistics veteran Todd C. Fowler joined Saia’s board and Audit Committee, adding capital-markets, autonomous-trucking and supply-chain expertise. Saia appoints Todd Fowler to board
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo lowered its price target: The firm cut its target from $400 to $370 and assigned an “equal weight” rating, reflecting a more cautious view despite the remaining implied upside. Wells Fargo analyst recommendations
• Negative Sentiment: Margins remain a concern: The operating ratio increased to 87.6% from 85.9% a year earlier, indicating that costs are rising faster than operating income and could temper the benefit of strong revenue growth.

About Saia

Saia, Inc is a transportation and logistics company headquartered in Johns Creek, Georgia. Through its primary subsidiary, Saia LTL Freight, the company provides less-than-truckload transportation, moving palletized and other freight shipments that do not require a full trailer. Its services include standard and time-definite delivery, expedited transportation, guaranteed services, and shipment tracking.

Saia also provides non-asset-based logistics services through Saia Logistics Services, which helps customers arrange freight transportation using third-party carriers.

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