Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Sells 41,889 Shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA)

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lowered its stake in shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 730,807 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 41,889 shares during the quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s holdings in Saia were worth $333,051,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Activity at Saia

In related news, CEO Frederick J. Holzgrefe III sold 7,534 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Matthew J. Batteh sold 700 shares of Saia stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $1,663,299.34. The trade was a 17.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,493 shares of company stock valued at $4,646,181. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Saia Stock Down 0.4 %

Saia stock opened at $377.04 on Thursday. Saia, Inc. has a twelve month low of $342.68 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $436.61 and a 200-day moving average of $465.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.04 billion, a PE ratio of 27.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.89.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on SAIA. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Saia from $492.00 to $563.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Saia in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Saia from $525.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Saia from $600.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Saia from $544.00 to $498.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $526.39.

Saia Company 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.