Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) Reaches New 1-Year High - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Saia’s stock hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $460.05 and last at about $455.19 on light volume (~10,200 shares); the company has a market cap near $11.97B and 50-/200-day averages of $383.53 and $348.82.
• Analyst action is notable — Barclays raised its price target to $500 with an "overweight" rating, yet the consensus remains a "Hold" (10 Buy, 10 Hold, 1 Sell) with an average target of $444.94.
• Saia beat Q1 estimates (EPS $1.86 vs. $1.82; revenue $806.2M vs. $789.1M) and posted modest revenue growth, but carries a high valuation (PE ~47.1) and insiders sold roughly 15,533 shares (~$6.0M) in the past three months.

Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $460.05 and last traded at $455.1880, with a volume of 10204 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $449.40.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on SAIA. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Saia from $400.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Saia in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Saia from $395.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wolfe Research raised shares of Saia from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Saia from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $444.94.

Saia Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $11.97 billion, a PE ratio of 47.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 2.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $383.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $348.82.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The transportation company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $806.23 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $789.08 million. Saia had a net margin of 7.84% and a return on equity of 9.60%. Saia's revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.86 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Saia, Inc. will post 11.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Patrick D. Sugar sold 2,706 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.74, for a total value of $1,046,518.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,121 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,527,455.54. This represents a 22.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Kelly W. Benton sold 800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $389.00, for a total transaction of $311,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,157 shares in the company, valued at $1,228,073. This trade represents a 20.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 15,533 shares of company stock worth $6,015,055. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Saia

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Saia by 12.8% in the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 844 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Saia by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 36,577 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $12,849,000 after purchasing an additional 2,033 shares during the period. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Saia by 32.9% in the 1st quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 19,040 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $6,688,000 after purchasing an additional 4,717 shares during the period. Calamos Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Saia in the 1st quarter valued at $2,085,000. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Saia by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 6,386 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,243,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period.

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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