Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Purchases 230,058 Shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its stake in Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA - Free Report) by 53.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 663,265 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 230,058 shares during the quarter. Saia accounts for about 2.9% of Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.'s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned about 2.50% of Saia worth $290,655,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Hawaiian Bank increased its stake in shares of Saia by 37.6% in the 4th quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 7,560 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,313,000 after purchasing an additional 2,065 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Saia in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,335,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of Saia by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 12,377 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $4,976,000 after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Saia during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,221,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Saia by 948.5% during the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,156 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,258,000 after buying an additional 2,855 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered Saia from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $484.00 to $526.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Saia from $475.00 to $618.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Saia from $398.00 to $446.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Susquehanna upped their price target on Saia from $500.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Saia in a research report on Monday, March 11th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $676.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $484.79.

Saia Stock Up 3.7 %

NASDAQ:SAIA traded up $21.34 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $593.00. 210,787 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 229,499. The business has a 50-day moving average of $561.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $463.76. Saia, Inc. has a twelve month low of $244.69 and a twelve month high of $628.34. The company has a market capitalization of $15.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.69, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.62.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The transportation company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.20 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $751.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $745.48 million. Saia had a return on equity of 19.75% and a net margin of 12.31%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.65 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Saia, Inc. will post 16.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Donna E. Epps sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $565.14, for a total value of $226,056.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,583 shares in the company, valued at $894,616.62. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Douglas L. Col sold 1,743 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $536.92, for a total value of $935,851.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,680,049.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Donna E. Epps sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $565.14, for a total value of $226,056.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,583 shares in the company, valued at approximately $894,616.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 27,699 shares of company stock worth $14,966,813. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Saia Company Profile

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.