Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) Trading Up 4.3% Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) shot up 4.3% during trading on Wednesday after Stephens raised their price target on the stock from $481.00 to $515.00. Stephens currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Saia traded as high as $499.30 and last traded at $497.29. 31,751 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 92% from the average session volume of 388,175 shares. The stock had previously closed at $476.99.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Saia from $443.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Saia from $479.00 to $481.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Saia from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $511.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Saia from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Saia from $510.00 to $490.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $492.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saia

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SAIA. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Saia by 161.5% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 68 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Paladin Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Saia in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in Saia during the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Saia in the second quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its holdings in Saia by 754.5% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 94 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter.

Saia Stock Performance

The business's 50-day simple moving average is $426.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $433.77. The firm has a market cap of $13.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.26.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 25th. The transportation company reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.53 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $842.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $839.82 million. Saia had a net margin of 11.83% and a return on equity of 18.00%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Saia, Inc. will post 13.88 earnings per share for the current 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.