Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) Trading 5.6% Higher – Still a Buy?

Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA)’s stock price rose 5.6% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $538.03 and last traded at $531.40. Approximately 49,652 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 372,298 shares. The stock had previously closed at $503.01.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on SAIA. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Saia from $561.00 to $544.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Saia from $550.00 to $510.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $600.00 price target on shares of Saia in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Saia from $620.00 to $600.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $535.41.

Saia Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $13.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.23, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.79. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $492.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $462.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.26.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 7th. The transportation company reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.87 by ($0.03). The business 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%. Saia’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.33 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Saia, Inc. will post 15.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Saia

In related news, EVP Rohit Lal sold 1,120 shares of Saia stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total transaction of $627,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,631,200. This trade represents a 11.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Saia

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Saia in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Paladin Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Saia in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Saia by 76.6% in 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. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of Saia by 47.8% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 201 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tobam bought a new position in shares of Saia during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $100,000.

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.