Wall Street Zen Upgrades Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) to Hold

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) from a "sell" to a "hold"; MarketBeat shows a consensus "Hold" rating with an average target price of $381 and an analyst split of 10 Buys, 11 Holds and 1 Sell.
• Q4 results missed on EPS (reported $1.77 vs. $1.90 expected) while revenue of $789.95M slightly beat estimates; the stock trades near $434 with a market cap of $11.58B and a P/E of about 45.6.
• Insiders have been selling—EVP and CFO sold shares on Feb. 13 and insiders disposed of 15,533 shares (~$6.0M) in the last 90 days, with insiders now owning roughly 0.30% of the company.

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

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Saia in a research note on Friday, January 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $403.00 price objective on shares of Saia in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Evercore set a $435.00 price objective on shares of Saia in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Saia from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Saia from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $381.00.

Saia Trading Up 2.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:SAIA opened at $434.22 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.61, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 2.04. Saia has a 1-year low of $229.12 and a 1-year high of $445.08. 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $373.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $337.68.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The transportation company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $773.82 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.84 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Saia will post 15.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Saia

In other Saia news, EVP Patrick D. Sugar sold 2,706 shares of Saia stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 9,121 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,527,455.54. This trade represents a 22.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Matthew J. Batteh sold 916 shares of Saia stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $389.03, for a total transaction of $356,351.48. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 4,444 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,728,849.32. This trade represents a 17.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 15,533 shares of company stock worth $6,015,055. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saia

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of Saia by 8,400.0% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 85 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Saia during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Saia in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Saia in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Saia by 69.0% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 142 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during 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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