Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Consensus "Hold": 22 analysts cover Saia with a consensus rating of Hold (1 sell, 11 hold, 10 buy) and an average 12‑month target of $381.
• Recent results and valuation: Saia missed Q EPS ($1.77 vs. $1.90 estimate) but beat revenue estimates, while shares trade around $434 (near a one‑year high) giving a market cap of $11.6B and a P/E of 45.6, suggesting the stock is trading rich versus analyst targets.
• Insider and institutional activity: Insiders sold 15,533 shares (~$6.0M) last quarter and now own 0.30% of shares, even as several institutions modestly increased or initiated positions.

Shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the twenty-two brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $381.00.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SAIA. Wolfe Research raised shares of Saia from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Susquehanna lowered shares of Saia from a "positive" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $390.00 to $425.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Saia in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Saia from $413.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Saia from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday.

Saia Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SAIA opened at $434.22 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $373.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $337.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.61, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 2.04. Saia has a one year low of $229.12 and a one year high of $445.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.64.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $789.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $773.82 million. Saia had a return on equity of 9.86% and a net margin of 7.89%.Saia's quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.84 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Saia will post 15.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Saia

In other news, CAO Kelly W. Benton sold 800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,157 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,228,073. The trade was a 20.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Raymond R. Ramu sold 5,226 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.95, for a total transaction of $2,027,426.70. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,631 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,408,646.45. The trade was a 59.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 15,533 shares of company stock worth $6,015,055. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Saia

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Saia by 52.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,781 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 612 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of Saia by 334.3% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 873 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $305,000 after buying an additional 672 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Saia by 4.3% in the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 32,543 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $8,916,000 after purchasing an additional 1,356 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Saia in the second quarter valued at $11,599,000. Finally, Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Saia in the second quarter valued at $13,943,000.

About Saia

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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