Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) Price Target Raised to $500.00 at Benchmark

Key Points

• Benchmark raised its price target on Saia to $500 (from $425) and kept a "buy" rating, implying roughly 11.4% upside, while analyst views remain mixed—10 buys, 10 holds, 1 sell—with an average target of $412.17 and some firms like Jefferies as high as $550.
• Saia's Q1 slightly beat estimates (EPS $1.86 vs. $1.82; revenue $806.2M vs. $789.1M), but growth was modest (~2.4% YoY) and management flagged margin-rebound hopes with execution and timing risks that investors should watch.
• Top executives recently sold shares (including the VP and CEO) and insiders now own only 0.30% of the stock, even as several institutional investors have materially increased their stakes.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) had its price objective boosted by Benchmark from $425.00 to $500.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the transportation company's stock. Benchmark's price target points to a potential upside of 11.40% from the company's previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Bank of America increased their target price on Saia from $413.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $441.00 target price on shares of Saia in a report on Thursday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Saia from $431.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore set a $435.00 price objective on Saia in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Saia from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $412.17.

Saia Price Performance

Shares of Saia stock opened at $448.82 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.97 billion, a PE ratio of 47.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 2.04. The business's 50-day moving average price is $382.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $346.22. Saia has a 12 month low of $231.69 and a 12 month high of $454.88.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The transportation company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $806.23 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $789.08 million. Saia had a net margin of 7.89% and a return on equity of 9.86%. The company's revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.86 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Saia will post 10.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Saia

In other Saia news, 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 transaction, the vice president owned 3,631 shares in the company, valued at $1,408,646.45. The trade was a 59.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Frederick J. Holzgrefe III sold 4,775 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $388.80, for a total value of $1,856,520.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 22,743 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,842,478.40. This trade represents a 17.35% 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 valued at $6,015,055. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saia

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

More Saia News

Here are the key news stories impacting Saia this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results topped estimates — Saia reported $1.86 EPS vs. $1.82 consensus and revenue of $806.2M vs. $789.1M est., signaling demand resilience and giving near‑term confidence to investors. MarketBeat Q1 Release
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlights and call tone point to margin rebound hopes — the earnings call discussed cost/leverage dynamics and initiatives to restore margin expansion, which supports upside to profitability over coming quarters. Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst response: price target increased — TD Cowen’s Jason Seidl (neutral rating retained) lifted his price target to $445 citing strengthening volumes, pricing power and multi‑year margin upside, which can support further multiple expansion. TipRanks Analyst Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Underlying growth is modest — revenue rose ~2.4% year‑over‑year and EPS was flat vs. prior year, indicating improvement but not a step‑change in top‑line momentum. Investors will watch subsequent quarters for reacceleration. GlobeNewswire Q1 Release
• Negative Sentiment: Caution remains on margin timing — several summaries and the call conveyed a cautious tone about how quickly margins will rebound, leaving execution risk that could temper gains if cost or volume trends slip. TipRanks Call Highlights

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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