Jefferies Financial Group Increases Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) Price Target to $550.00

Key Points

• Jefferies raised its price target on Saia from $500 to $550 and kept a "buy" rating, implying about a 27.5% upside from the stock's current level.
• Analysts are mixed overall—Saia has a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average target of $392.32 (10 Buys, 11 Holds, 1 Sell), and the company recently missed EPS estimates ($1.77 vs. $1.90) while narrowly beating revenue forecasts.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $500.00 to $550.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the transportation company's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's target price points to a potential upside of 27.47% from the stock's current price.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on SAIA. Stephens upped their price target on Saia from $414.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley downgraded Saia from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup increased their target price on Saia from $431.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Saia from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Saia from $349.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Saia has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $392.32.

Saia Price Performance

SAIA stock traded down $10.35 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $431.46. The company's stock had a trading volume of 551,413 shares, compared to its average volume of 553,748. Saia has a 12 month low of $229.12 and a 12 month high of $451.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 2.04. The company has a 50 day moving average of $374.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $340.35.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The transportation company reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.90 by ($0.13). Saia had a return on equity of 9.86% and a net margin of 7.89%.The business had revenue of $789.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $773.82 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.84 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Saia will post 10.6 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Frederick J. Holzgrefe III sold 4,775 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 22,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,842,478.40. This represents a 17.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Kelly W. Benton sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $389.00, for a total value of $311,200.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 3,157 shares in the company, valued at $1,228,073. The trade was a 20.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,533 shares of company stock worth $6,015,055. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Saia

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SAIA. Viking Global Investors LP purchased a new stake in Saia in the second quarter worth $226,770,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Saia by 1,300.4% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 701,418 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $209,976,000 after purchasing an additional 651,332 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Saia by 35.4% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,273,396 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $680,564,000 after purchasing an additional 594,674 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Saia in the fourth quarter worth $130,411,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Saia by 141.3% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 557,129 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $166,782,000 after purchasing an additional 326,206 shares during the period.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.