Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) Trading Down 8.6% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Saia shares fell about 8.6% intraday to roughly $362.50 (low $360.50) from a prior close of $396.62 on sharply reduced volume (116,965 shares, ~78% below average).
• The company reported Q4 EPS of $1.77, missing the $1.90 consensus while revenue slightly beat at $789.95 million, leaving margins and earnings well below the prior-year quarter.
• Analysts are mixed with a MarketBeat consensus of Hold and an average price target of $380.47 (9 Buys, 12 Holds, 1 Sell); insiders have sold about $6.0 million of stock in the last 90 days even as large hedge funds increased positions.

Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) shares traded down 8.6% on Friday . The company traded as low as $360.50 and last traded at $362.50. 116,965 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average session volume of 539,798 shares. The stock had previously closed at $396.62.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on SAIA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Saia from $349.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Saia from $343.00 to $371.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Stephens increased their target price on shares of Saia from $414.00 to $445.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore set a $435.00 price target on Saia in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Saia in a report on Monday, December 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $380.47.

Saia Trading Down 9.8%

The stock has a market cap of $9.55 billion, a PE ratio of 37.60, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 2.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 1.64. The business has a 50-day moving average of $371.52 and a 200 day moving average of $326.04.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The transportation company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.90 by ($0.13). Saia had a return on equity of 9.86% and a net margin of 7.89%.The firm had revenue of $789.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $773.82 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.84 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Saia, Inc. will post 15.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Saia news, CAO Kelly W. Benton sold 800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was 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 represents a 20.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Raymond R. Ramu sold 5,226 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.95, for a total value of $2,027,426.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 3,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,408,646.45. This trade represents a 59.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 15,533 shares of company stock valued at $6,015,055 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saia

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Viking Global Investors LP purchased a new stake in Saia during the 2nd quarter worth $226,770,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Saia by 1,300.4% in 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. grew its stake in shares of Saia by 35.4% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,273,396 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $680,564,000 after buying an additional 594,674 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Saia during the 4th quarter valued at about $130,411,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Saia by 141.3% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 557,129 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $166,782,000 after acquiring an additional 326,206 shares in the last quarter.

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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