Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Grows Position in Saia, Inc. $SAIA

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) by 10.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 20,217 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,859 shares during the quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Saia were worth $6,052,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SAIA. State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of Saia during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Saia by 6,400.0% during the third quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 195 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. lifted its holdings in Saia by 28.9% during the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 205 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Saia by 28.4% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 298 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Cim Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Saia during the 2nd quarter valued at $134,000.

Insider Transactions at Saia

In other Saia news, VP Raymond R. Ramu sold 5,226 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.95, for a total transaction of $2,027,426.70. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 3,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,408,646.45. The trade was a 59.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Matthew J. Batteh sold 1,110 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $375.71, for a total transaction of $417,038.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 5,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,013,805.60. This trade represents a 17.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 15,533 shares of company stock worth $6,015,055 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on SAIA. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Saia from $310.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore set a $435.00 price objective on shares of Saia in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Saia from $431.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Saia from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, February 15th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Saia from $413.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Saia currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $379.47.

Saia Trading Up 2.1%

NASDAQ SAIA opened at $327.71 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $372.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $328.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.64. Saia, Inc. has a 12 month low of $229.12 and a 12 month high of $430.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.42, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 2.04.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The transportation company reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.13). The firm had revenue of $789.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $773.82 million. Saia had a return on equity of 9.86% and a net margin of 7.89%.The firm’s revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.84 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Saia, Inc. will post 15.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Saia Profile

Saia, Inc is a publicly traded transportation company specializing in less-than-truckload (LTL) freight services across North America. Headquartered in Johns Creek, Georgia, the company focuses on the efficient movement of time-sensitive freight for a diverse customer base that spans retail, manufacturing, automotive, and healthcare industries. By leveraging a network of terminals and service centers, Saia provides tailored solutions designed to optimize supply chain performance.

The company’s core offerings include regional, interregional, and national LTL shipping, supported by volumetric LTL and port intermodal services.