Company Overview
Saia, Inc. operates as a transportation company within North America, specializing in less-than-truckload services for shipments weighing between 100 and 10,000 pounds alongside various value-added offerings such as brokered truckload, expedited transportation, and other specialized logistics solutions. The company functions within the Industrials sector and specifically the Trucking industry, positioning it as a key provider of freight movement infrastructure and supply chain management capabilities in the United States. Its current market capitalization stands at $8.57B, supported by a trailing twelve-month revenue of $3.23B and a workforce comprising 13,734 employees, indicating a substantial operational footprint. These valuation and revenue figures suggest that the market assigns a significant enterprise value to Saia's network, reflecting its established role in facilitating commerce through its extensive logistics operations.
Financial Health
The company reported revenue of $3.23B over the trailing twelve months, generating a net income of $255.04M and an EBITDA of $588.32M, which reveals a substantial gap between total revenue and bottom-line profit that highlights the intensive cost structure inherent in heavy asset transportation businesses. This disparity indicates that operating expenses, including fuel, driver wages, and maintenance, consume a large portion of gross receipts before reaching net income. Saia reported free cash flow of $-107,313,752, signaling that capital expenditures and working capital requirements currently exceed operating cash generation, which limits immediate financial flexibility for discretionary spending or heavy debt repayment without external financing. The company maintains a cash balance of $19.72M against total debt of $304.99M, while its debt-to-equity ratio stands at 11.83, illustrating a highly leveraged balance sheet where interest obligations represent a significant portion of equity capitalization. Despite the leverage, the current ratio of 1.64 indicates that the company holds sufficient liquid assets relative to its short-term liabilities to cover immediate obligations without distress. Furthermore, the return on equity of 10.4% and return on assets of 6.4% demonstrate that management is generating returns on the capital employed, though the high debt load compresses the return on equity metric relative to an unlevered baseline.
Valuation Assessment
Saia trades with a trailing P/E ratio of 33.70 and a forward P/E of 23.50, implying that the market expects earnings to recover significantly from current levels to justify the lower multiple in the coming year. The price-to-book ratio of 3.29 suggests that investors are willing to pay a substantial premium over the company's book value, likely reflecting intangible assets like its brand reputation and route density that are not fully captured on the balance sheet. Alternative valuation metrics include a price-to-sales ratio of 2.65 and an EV/EBITDA of 15.01, which provide context for the stock's valuation relative to its revenue generation and earnings power before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. The stock has fluctuated between a 52-week high of $430.11 and a 52-week low of $229.12, and without a specific current price provided in the facts, the trading range indicates a wide volatility corridor within which the security has moved over the last year. The beta value of 2.03 indicates that the stock is expected to be twice as volatile as the broader market, meaning price swings will likely be amplified during periods of market stress or rally.
Growth & Income
Revenue growth for the year over year is recorded at 0.1%, while earnings growth is -37.6%, indicating that profitability is currently declining much faster than top-line revenue, likely due to margin compression or one-time expenses impacting the bottom line. As a non-dividend payer, the company reports a dividend yield of N/A and a payout ratio of 0.0%, meaning it retains all earnings to fund operations, capital expenditures, and debt servicing rather than distributing cash to shareholders. The absence of a dividend program combined with negative free cash flow suggests the company prioritizes liquidity preservation and capital allocation for growth initiatives over immediate income distribution to investors. Overall, the growth and income profile presents a scenario of flat revenue expansion paired with significant earnings contraction and no current cash returns, requiring investors to weigh the potential for future earnings stabilization against the current lack of dividend income.