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

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) by 12.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 76,695 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 8,221 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.29% of Saia worth $34,952,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Saia in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position 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 during the period. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Saia in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Saia by 76.6% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 113 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new position in Saia in the 4th quarter valued at $64,000.

Saia Stock Performance

NASDAQ SAIA opened at $322.38 on Friday. Saia, Inc. has a twelve month low of $287.50 and a twelve month high of $624.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market cap of $8.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.86, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.89. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $416.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $461.75.

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). 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 for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.33 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Saia, Inc. will post 15.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SAIA shares. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $600.00 target price on shares of Saia in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays cut their price objective on Saia from $535.00 to $475.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen raised their target price on Saia from $456.00 to $478.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Raymond James cut their price target on Saia from $560.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Saia in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Saia presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $509.72.

Insider Buying and Selling at Saia

In other Saia news, CEO Frederick J. Holzgrefe III sold 7,534 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 17,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,599,114.30. This represents a 29.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Patrick D. Sugar sold 799 shares of Saia stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $493.74, for a total transaction of $394,498.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,260,482.46. This trade represents 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 three months. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.