Wall Street Zen Downgrades Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) to Sell

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Citigroup dropped their price target on Saia from $371.00 to $365.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Saia from $292.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Rothschild Redb raised shares of Saia to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saia in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Saia from $322.00 to $367.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $335.85.

Saia Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SAIA opened at $320.29 on Friday. Saia has a 12 month low of $229.12 and a 12 month high of $538.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.24, a P/E/G ratio of 10.37 and a beta of 2.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $297.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $295.48.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The transportation company reported $2.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $839.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $824.06 million. Saia had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 11.32%. Saia’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Saia will post 15.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Saia

In other news, Director Donna E. Epps acquired 422 shares of Saia stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $277.60 per share, with a total value of $117,147.20. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 1,852 shares in the company, valued at $514,115.20. This trade represents a 29.51% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Raymond R. Ramu sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.57, for a total value of $266,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 4,902 shares in the company, valued at $1,306,726.14. This trade represents a 16.94% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Saia in the first quarter valued at approximately $303,000. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in Saia by 87.1% during the second quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 118,420 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $32,446,000 after purchasing an additional 55,129 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Saia by 473.6% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 11,747 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,105,000 after purchasing an additional 9,699 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of Saia by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 86,083 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $30,080,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Saia by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 103,650 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $36,218,000 after buying an additional 1,586 shares during the period.

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.