Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) Rating Lowered to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) from a "hold" to a "sell," while analyst coverage remains mixed—10 Buy, 11 Hold, 1 Sell—with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $392.32.
• Saia missed quarterly EPS at $1.77 versus $1.90 expected despite revenue of $789.95M topping estimates, shares trade around $442 (near a one‑year high) and insiders have sold about 15,533 shares worth roughly $6.0M recently.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note issued on Sunday.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on SAIA. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Saia from $431.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. TD Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Saia in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Barclays lifted their target price on Saia from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $493.00 price target on shares of Saia in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Benchmark increased their price target on Saia from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $392.32.

Saia Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of SAIA stock opened at $442.44 on Friday. 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 has a 1-year low of $229.12 and a 1-year high of $451.91. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $378.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $342.86. The company has a market cap of $11.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 2.04.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 firm had revenue of $789.95 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $773.82 million. Saia had a return on equity of 9.86% and a net margin of 7.89%.Saia's revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.84 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Saia will post 10.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Saia

In other news, VP Raymond R. Ramu sold 5,226 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.95, for a total transaction of $2,027,426.70. Following the sale, the vice president owned 3,631 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,408,646.45. This represents a 59.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Patrick D. Sugar sold 2,706 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.74, for a total transaction of $1,046,518.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,121 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,527,455.54. The trade was a 22.88% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 15,533 shares of company stock valued at $6,015,055. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saia

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SAIA. Vestor Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Saia by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 323 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $96,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in Saia by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 563 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $184,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Saia by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 8,182 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,449,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC increased its holdings in Saia by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 1,401 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $384,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Saia by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 1,075 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 45 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.

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