Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) Share Price Breaks Above Fifty Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIA)’s stock price crossed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $342.33 and traded as high as $349.01. Saia shares last traded at $343.07, with a volume of 780,580 shares.

Saia News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Saia this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results exceeded expectations: Revenue reached a record $982.5 million, up 17% year over year, while diluted EPS of $3.41 topped consensus estimates near $3.30. LTL tonnage per workday increased 8.9%, and revenue per shipment excluding fuel surcharges rose 5.8%. Saia Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns strengthened: Saia authorized up to $250 million in common-stock repurchases. Year-to-date free cash flow exceeded $240 million, while cash increased to $202.5 million and total debt declined to $100 million, providing financial flexibility for buybacks and network investment. Saia Q3 Revenue and Repurchase Program
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup became more bullish, raising its price target from $429 to $434 and assigning a “buy” rating. The new target implies substantial upside from the recent trading level. Citigroup Raises Saia Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Board expertise expanded: Saia appointed transportation and logistics veteran Todd C. Fowler to its board and Audit Committee, adding experience in capital markets, autonomous trucking and supply-chain technology. Saia Expansion Terminals and Q3 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability remains a concern: The operating ratio increased to 87.6% from 85.9% a year earlier, indicating cost pressure despite revenue growth. Wells Fargo cut its target to $370 with an “equal weight” rating, while TD Cowen lowered its target to $393 and moved to “hold.” Wells Fargo Saia Rating

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Saia from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Saia from $438.00 to $423.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $476.00 price target on shares of Saia in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Saia in a research note on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Saia from $400.00 to $393.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $436.16.

Saia Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a market cap of $9.19 billion, a PE ratio of 32.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 2.19. The company has a fifty day moving average of $342.03 and a 200-day moving average of $387.51.

Saia (NASDAQ:SAIA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The transportation company reported $3.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.30 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $982.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $966.98 million. Saia had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 8.01%. Saia’s revenue was up 17.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.81 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Saia, Inc. will post 11.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Saia by 6.6% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,545,731 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,072,160,000 after buying an additional 156,628 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Saia by 3.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 854,398 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $359,862,000 after acquiring an additional 28,397 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Saia by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 804,284 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $282,529,000 after acquiring an additional 63,486 shares during the period. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in Saia in the 2nd quarter valued at $140,979,000. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Saia during the 2nd quarter worth $109,089,000.

About Saia

Saia, Inc is a transportation and logistics company headquartered in Johns Creek, Georgia. Through its primary subsidiary, Saia LTL Freight, the company provides less-than-truckload transportation, moving palletized and other freight shipments that do not require a full trailer. Its services include standard and time-definite delivery, expedited transportation, guaranteed services, and shipment tracking.

Saia also provides non-asset-based logistics services through Saia Logistics Services, which helps customers arrange freight transportation using third-party carriers.