Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $526.39.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Saia from $566.00 to $558.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $600.00 target price on shares of Saia in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Saia from $544.00 to $498.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Saia in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Saia from $550.00 to $510.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Saia

In other news, EVP Patrick D. Sugar sold 799 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $493.74, for a total value of $394,498.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,260,482.46. The trade was a 8.47 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Frederick J. Holzgrefe III sold 7,534 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.34, for a total value of $3,671,619.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 17,645 shares in the company, valued at $8,599,114.30. The trade was a 29.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,493 shares of company stock valued at $4,646,181. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Saia in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Saia by 172.7% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 60 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in Saia during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in Saia by 291.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 94 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Saia by 76.6% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 113 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter.

Saia Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SAIA opened at $352.36 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $456.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $467.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market cap of $9.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.08, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.89. Saia has a 1 year low of $347.11 and a 1 year high of $624.55.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 7th. The transportation company reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $789.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $794.69 million. Saia had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 16.63%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.33 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Saia will post 15.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Saia

Saia, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a transportation company in North America. The company provides less-than-truckload services for shipments between 100 and 10,000 pounds; and other value-added services, including non-asset truckload, expedited, and logistics services. It also offers other value-added services, including non-asset truckload, expedited, and logistics services.