Franklin Resources Inc. Buys 3,886 Shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA)

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 68,474 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,886 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.26% of Saia worth $31,633,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Saia by 161.5% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 68 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Saia during the second quarter valued at about $41,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Saia during the second quarter worth about $42,000. Paladin Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Saia in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Saia by 754.5% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 94 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter.

Saia Trading Down 4.2 %

Shares of SAIA stock opened at $510.69 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market cap of $13.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.74. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $507.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $457.37. Saia, Inc. has a 12-month low of $358.90 and a 12-month high of $628.34.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 25th. The transportation company reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.53 by ($0.07). Saia had a return on equity of 18.00% and a net margin of 11.83%. The firm had revenue of $842.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $839.82 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.67 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Saia, Inc. will post 13.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Rohit Lal sold 1,120 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $560.00, for a total value of $627,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,631,200. The trade was a 11.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SAIA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Saia from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Saia from $443.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Citigroup cut their target price on Saia from $651.00 to $644.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays upped their price target on Saia from $515.00 to $620.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Saia from $492.00 to $563.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $514.88.

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.