Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $20.90 Million Stake in Saia, Inc. $SAIA

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA) by 3.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 59,496 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 2,171 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Saia were worth $20,900,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Saia by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,798,841 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $587,358,000 after acquiring an additional 43,690 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP raised its stake in shares of Saia by 67.2% in the 3rd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,383,888 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $414,281,000 after acquiring an additional 556,229 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Saia by 31.7% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 923,912 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $301,676,000 after purchasing an additional 222,494 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Saia by 25.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 825,687 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $226,230,000 after purchasing an additional 166,486 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Saia by 33.0% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 740,798 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $241,885,000 after purchasing an additional 183,669 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SAIA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays increased their price target on Saia from $400.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Saia from $445.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Citigroup raised shares of Saia from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $524.00 to $488.00 in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Raymond James Financial lowered their target price on shares of Saia from $477.00 to $475.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Saia from $493.00 to $527.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Saia currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $462.72.

Saia Stock Performance

SAIA opened at $433.22 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 2.13. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $446.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $403.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Saia, Inc. has a 12-month low of $249.32 and a 12-month high of $494.71.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The transportation company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.04. Saia had a return on equity of 9.60% and a net margin of 7.84%.The company had revenue of $806.23 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $789.08 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.86 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Saia, Inc. will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Saia Company 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.