Stifel Nicolaus Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) Stock

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) had its target price hoisted by equities research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $443.00 to $529.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 6.20% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Saia from $651.00 to $644.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Saia from $465.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Saia from $499.00 to $566.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $530.00 price objective (down previously from $565.00) on shares of Saia in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Saia from $503.00 to $488.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $527.65.

Saia Price Performance

Shares of Saia stock traded up $2.42 on Thursday, hitting $498.12. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 24,347 shares, compared to its average volume of 335,240. The company has a market capitalization of $13.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.79. Saia has a 52-week low of $358.90 and a 52-week high of $628.34. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $503.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $460.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 25th. The transportation company reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.53 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $842.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $839.82 million. Saia had a return on equity of 18.00% and a net margin of 11.83%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.67 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Saia will post 13.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Saia

In other news, EVP Rohit Lal sold 1,120 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total value of $627,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,270 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,631,200. This represents a 11.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saia

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Saia during the second quarter worth about $41,000. Paladin Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Saia during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Tobam acquired a new position in shares of Saia in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $100,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Saia by 319.1% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 285 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $135,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Saia by 148.0% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 367 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $167,000 after buying an additional 219 shares in the last quarter.

Saia Company Profile

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.