Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) Stock Gets Price Target Reduction from Wells Fargo & Company

Key Points

• Wells Fargo cut Saia’s price target to $370 from $400 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating, implying 6.67% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: 14 analysts rate the stock a Buy, six rate it Hold, and one rates it Sell, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $436.
• Saia’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with EPS of $3.41 and revenue of $982.45 million, up 17% year over year; shares traded around $346.87, though margins remain a concern as the operating ratio rose to 87.6%.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) had its price target reduced by Wells Fargo & Company from $400.00 to $370.00 in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "equal weight" rating on the transportation company's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price target points to a potential upside of 6.67% from the company's previous close.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Saia in a report on Thursday, September 10th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $439.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Saia from $445.00 to $400.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $476.00 target price on shares of Saia in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Stephens decreased 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, Susquehanna cut their price target on Saia from $412.00 to $360.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $436.00.

Saia Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ SAIA traded up $3.80 during trading on Friday, hitting $346.87. 246,072 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 462,645. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 2.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $342.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $387.61. Saia has a 1 year low of $249.32 and a 1 year high of $494.71.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Alliance LLC increased its position in Saia by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 763 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in shares of Saia by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 8,858 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,731,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Saia by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 638 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Saia by 2.0% in the second quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 2,687 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,132,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Saia by 360.0% during the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 69 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter.

Saia News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Saia this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings and revenue exceeded expectations. Saia reported diluted EPS of $3.41, above the roughly $3.30–$3.31 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 17.0% year over year to a record $982.5 million versus expectations of approximately $967.0 million. EPS increased from $3.22 a year earlier, or $2.81 after excluding a prior-year real-estate gain. Saia Q3 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Freight demand and pricing improved. LTL tonnage per workday reached a record and increased 8.9%, while revenue per shipment excluding fuel surcharges rose 5.8%. Operating income increased 3.1% to $122.3 million, and year-to-date free cash flow exceeded $240 million. Saia’s Expanded Terminal Network Delivers Record Revenue and Tonnage
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns received a boost. Saia authorized a $250 million stock-repurchase program, supported by $202.5 million of cash and only $100 million of total debt. Buybacks can support per-share results and signal management confidence in the company’s valuation and cash-generation capacity. Saia Authorizes a Buyback Plan
• Neutral Sentiment: Saia appointed transportation and logistics veteran Todd C. Fowler to its board and Audit Committee, adding capital-markets, autonomous-trucking and supply-chain technology expertise. The appointment is strategically supportive but is unlikely to materially affect near-term results. Saia Appoints Todd Fowler to Board
• Negative Sentiment: Margins remain a concern. The operating ratio increased to 87.6% from 85.9% a year earlier, indicating that expenses grew faster than operating efficiency improved. Revenue per hundredweight excluding fuel surcharges declined 2.2%, and continued network investment—including expected 2026 capital expenditures of about $350 million—could pressure returns if growth moderates. Saia Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results

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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