Wells Fargo & Company Lowers Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) Price Target to $400.00

Key Points

• Wells Fargo lowered Saia’s price target to $400 from $490 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating, implying approximately 13.8% upside from the reported share price.
• Despite the cut, analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: Saia has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $453.39.
• Saia exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $3.51 in EPS and $956.49 million in revenue, but investors face pressure from higher wages, fuel, transportation and insurance costs that are expected to hurt third-quarter margins.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) had its target price decreased by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $490.00 to $400.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the transportation company's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 13.82% from the company's current price.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Saia from $465.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Saia from $465.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Saia from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Evercore raised shares of Saia from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Saia from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Saia has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $453.39.

Saia Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of SAIA traded up $0.81 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $351.44. The stock had a trading volume of 135,509 shares, compared to its average volume of 491,041. Saia has a 12 month low of $249.32 and a 12 month high of $494.71. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $439.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $406.22. 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 company has a market capitalization of $9.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 2.13.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The transportation company reported $3.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.38 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $956.49 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $956.20 million. Saia had a net margin of 7.84% and a return on equity of 9.60%. Saia's revenue was up 17.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.67 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Saia will post 11.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SAIA. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in Saia by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 8,858 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,731,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. lifted its position in shares of Saia by 14.1% during the 2nd quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 1,101 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $464,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Saia in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $485,000. PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab boosted its stake in shares of Saia by 23.2% in the 2nd quarter. PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab now owns 7,000 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,948,000 after buying an additional 1,320 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of Saia in the second quarter valued at approximately $16,908,000.

Key Saia News

Here are the key news stories impacting Saia this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stifel upgraded Saia from “hold” to “buy” and assigned a $438 price target, signaling confidence in the company’s long-term prospects after the recent selloff. Finviz analyst upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results exceeded earnings expectations: diluted EPS rose 31.4% year over year to $3.51, above the approximately $3.34–$3.38 consensus range. Revenue increased 17.1% to a record $956.5 million, operating income climbed 26% to $125.2 million, and the operating ratio improved to 86.9%. LTL tonnage per workday increased 8.4%, while shipments rose 4.4%. Saia second-quarter results
• Neutral Sentiment: Saia ended June with $84 million in cash and $100.1 million of debt, while first-half net capital expenditures were $158 million. Management expects full-year 2026 capital expenditures of approximately $350 million to $400 million, supporting network expansion but requiring substantial cash investment.
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter margin guidance disappointed investors. Management expects approximately 100 basis points of sequential operating-ratio deterioration, citing a company-wide wage increase, higher diesel and purchased-transportation costs, and elevated insurance and workers’ compensation expenses. Saia third-quarter margin outlook
• Negative Sentiment: July volume trends were mixed: tonnage increased roughly 7.5% month to date, but shipment growth was only about 1% following Saia’s 7.1% general rate increase, raising concerns about pricing and demand. Saia stock analysis

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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