Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Initiates Coverage on Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA)

Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) in a report issued on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $570.00 price target on the transportation company’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on SAIA. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $600.00 price target on shares of Saia in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Saia from $544.00 to $498.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Saia in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Saia from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $524.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Saia from $566.00 to $558.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $530.00.

Saia Price Performance

Saia stock opened at $375.92 on Friday. Saia has a 12-month low of $358.90 and a 12-month high of $624.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.79. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $463.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $467.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.26.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 7th. The transportation company reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $789.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $794.69 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.33 earnings per share. Saia’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Saia will post 15.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Frederick J. Holzgrefe III sold 7,534 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.34, for a total transaction of $3,671,619.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 17,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,599,114.30. This trade represents a 29.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Patrick D. Sugar sold 799 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $493.74, for a total transaction of $394,498.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,260,482.46. The trade was a 8.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,493 shares of company stock worth $4,646,181 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Saia

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new stake in shares of Saia during the third quarter worth approximately $1,408,000. Highview Capital Management LLC DE acquired a new position in Saia in the fourth quarter worth $1,324,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Saia in the fourth quarter worth $3,363,000. Legato Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Saia by 100.6% in the fourth quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 1,565 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $713,000 after purchasing an additional 785 shares during the period. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC boosted its holdings in Saia by 89.8% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 4,313 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,886,000 after purchasing an additional 2,041 shares during the period.

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.