Arizona State Retirement System Boosts Stake in Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA)

Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,685 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Saia were worth $3,502,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Artemis Investment Management LLP increased its position in shares of Saia by 72.9% in the fourth quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 249,782 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $113,833,000 after purchasing an additional 105,356 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Saia in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,767,000. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Saia by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 692,405 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $302,761,000 after buying an additional 64,351 shares during the last quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Saia during the 3rd quarter valued at $22,979,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Saia during the 4th quarter worth $15,577,000.

Saia Stock Performance

Saia stock opened at $375.92 on Monday. 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 has a market cap of $10.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.89. Saia, Inc. has a 1-year low of $358.90 and a 1-year high of $624.55. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $461.82 and a 200-day moving average of $468.28.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 7th. The transportation company reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.87 by ($0.03). Saia had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 11.28%. The business had revenue of $789.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $794.69 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.33 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Saia, Inc. will post 15.46 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Saia from $550.00 to $510.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Saia in a research report on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $570.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Saia from $492.00 to $563.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Saia in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Saia from $620.00 to $600.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Saia currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $530.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Frederick J. Holzgrefe III sold 7,534 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 17,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,599,114.30. This represents a 29.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Matthew J. Batteh sold 700 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 3,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,663,299.34. This trade represents a 17.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,493 shares of company stock valued at $4,646,181 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Saia 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.