Capital World Investors Reduces Stake in Saia, Inc. $SAIA

Key Points

• Capital World Investors trimmed its Saia stake by 3.7% in Q3, selling 15,470 shares and ending the period with 407,265 shares (about 1.53% ownership) valued at $121.92 million.
• Several large institutions showed the opposite trend, with Viking Global and Norges Bank opening new positions (~$226.8M and $103.6M respectively) and First Trust, Wasatch and Neuberger materially increasing their holdings, indicating strong institutional interest.
• Insiders sold 15,533 shares worth roughly $6.02 million last quarter (including CAO and CFO sales), and Saia recently missed EPS expectations ($1.77 vs. $1.90), with the stock down about 4.1% and a consensus analyst rating of "Hold" (avg. target $379.47).

Capital World Investors trimmed its position in shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA - Free Report) by 3.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 407,265 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 15,470 shares during the quarter. Capital World Investors owned approximately 1.53% of Saia worth $121,919,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Viking Global Investors LP acquired a new stake in Saia in the second quarter valued at $226,770,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Saia in the second quarter valued at $103,599,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Saia by 141.3% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 557,129 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $166,782,000 after buying an additional 326,206 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Saia by 25.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 825,687 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $226,230,000 after buying an additional 166,486 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Saia by 403.3% in the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 181,583 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $49,752,000 after buying an additional 145,506 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Transactions at Saia

In other news, CAO Kelly W. Benton sold 800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $389.00, for a total transaction of $311,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,157 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,228,073. This represents a 20.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Matthew J. Batteh sold 916 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $389.03, for a total transaction of $356,351.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 4,444 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,728,849.32. The trade was a 17.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 15,533 shares of company stock worth $6,015,055 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $262.00 price objective on shares of Saia in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Saia from $310.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Susquehanna lowered shares of Saia from a "positive" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price target for the company from $390.00 to $425.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wolfe Research reissued a "peer perform" rating on shares of Saia in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Saia from $413.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $379.47.

Saia Trading Down 4.1%

Shares of Saia stock opened at $341.41 on Thursday. Saia, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $229.12 and a fifty-two week high of $430.11. The firm has a market cap of $9.11 billion, a PE ratio of 35.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 2.04. The business's fifty day moving average is $373.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $327.73. 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 - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The transportation company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $789.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $773.82 million. Saia had a net margin of 7.89% and a return on equity of 9.86%. Saia'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. Analysts anticipate that Saia, Inc. will post 15.46 earnings per share for the current year.

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.

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