Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) Sets New 52-Week Low on Disappointing Earnings

Shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock traded as low as $273.50 and last traded at $270.07, with a volume of 56636 shares. The stock had previously closed at $354.22.

The transportation company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.77 by ($0.91). Saia had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 11.28%. The company had revenue of $787.58 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $806.18 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.38 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on SAIA. Bank of America lowered shares of Saia from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $251.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Saia from $400.00 to $260.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Saia from $524.00 to $480.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of Saia in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on Saia from $498.00 to $435.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $402.72.

Insider Buying and Selling at Saia

In other Saia news, CEO Frederick J. Holzgrefe III sold 7,534 shares of Saia stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.34, for a total value of $3,671,619.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 17,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,599,114.30. The trade was a 29.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 transaction of $350,063.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 3,326 shares in the company, valued at $1,663,299.34. This trade represents a 17.39 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,493 shares of company stock valued at $4,646,181. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saia

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Saia during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Saia by 172.7% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 60 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Saia by 127.0% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 84 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in Saia during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank raised its position in Saia by 291.7% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 94 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter.

Saia Stock Down 3.5 %

The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $358.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $447.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.31 billion, a PE ratio of 17.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

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.