Franklin Resources Inc. Buys 8,221 Shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA)

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) by 12.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 76,695 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,221 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Saia were worth $34,952,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Saia by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 744 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in shares of Saia by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 7,685 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,502,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Saia by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 678 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Saia by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,707 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,689,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Saia by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,171 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $534,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period.

Insider Transactions at Saia

In other Saia news, CAO Kelly W. Benton sold 460 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $230,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,143,500. The trade was a 9.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Patrick D. Sugar sold 799 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $493.74, for a total transaction of $394,498.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,260,482.46. This represents a 8.47 % 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 three months. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Saia Stock Performance

Shares of SAIA stock opened at $322.38 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.89. Saia, Inc. has a 52 week low of $287.50 and a 52 week high of $624.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.57. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $416.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $461.75.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $600.00 target price on shares of Saia in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Saia from $565.00 to $484.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Saia from $540.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 31st. Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Saia in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Saia in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $570.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Saia has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $509.72.

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.