Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $343.61 and last traded at $350.65, with a volume of 650793 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $349.29.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SAIA has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Saia from $566.00 to $558.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Saia from $456.00 to $478.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Saia in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $570.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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 note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $600.00 price target on shares of Saia in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $526.39.

Saia Stock Up 0.4 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $445.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $466.25. The company has a market cap of $9.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.89.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) last posted its 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 business had revenue of $789.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $794.69 million. Saia had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 16.63%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.33 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Saia, Inc. will post 15.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Kelly W. Benton sold 460 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $230,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,143,500. This represents a 9.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Matthew J. Batteh sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.09, for a total value of $350,063.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 3,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,663,299.34. This trade represents a 17.39 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 9,493 shares of company stock valued at $4,646,181. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saia

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SAIA. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Saia by 69.3% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,939,615 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $883,941,000 after buying an additional 794,197 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in Saia by 24,815.0% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 372,728 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $169,863,000 after purchasing an additional 371,232 shares during the last quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. bought a new position in Saia in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $137,199,000. Interval Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Saia during the 4th quarter worth approximately $89,229,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Saia by 76.2% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 355,929 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $162,213,000 after purchasing an additional 153,896 shares in the last quarter.

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.