Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) Reaches New 12-Month High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Saia hit a new 52-week high — shares traded as high as $435.35 and last at $436.76, giving a market cap around $11.79 billion with the stock up roughly 4.7% intraday.
• Analyst coverage is mixed: the consensus is a "Hold" with an average target of $381 (10 Buys, 11 Holds, 1 Sell), implying the current price is well above the street's average target.
• Recent quarter showed an EPS miss ($1.77 vs. $1.90 expected) but revenue beat ($789.95M), and insiders sold about 15,533 shares (~$6.0M) last quarter, leaving insiders owning 0.30% of the stock.

Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $435.35 and last traded at $436.7640, with a volume of 36692 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $422.56.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SAIA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Saia from $310.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley downgraded Saia from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Saia from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Saia in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $425.00 price target on Saia in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $381.00.

Saia Trading Up 4.7%

The stock has a market capitalization of $11.79 billion, a PE ratio of 46.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 2.04. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $372.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $336.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The transportation company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.90 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $789.95 million during 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%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.84 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Saia, Inc. will post 15.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Patrick D. Sugar sold 2,706 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.74, for a total value 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 $3,527,455.54. This represents a 22.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Frederick J. Holzgrefe III sold 4,775 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,743 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,842,478.40. This represents a 17.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 15,533 shares of company stock valued at $6,015,055 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saia

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vestor Capital LLC grew its holdings in Saia by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 323 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Saia by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 563 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $184,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Saia by 0.5% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 8,182 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,449,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Boothbay Fund Management LLC grew its holdings in Saia by 3.2% during the second quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 1,401 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $384,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Sheets Smith Wealth Management grew its holdings in Saia by 1.7% during the third quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 2,632 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $788,000 after purchasing an additional 45 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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