Saia

SAIA

Trucking · Industrials

Price

$362.15

+2.52 (+0.70%)

Market Cap

$9.66B

Exchange

NASDAQ

Winston Score

Winston is serious

Mixed quality — meaningful strengths and weaknesses.

Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026

How the score breaks down

Quality

Mixed

Growth

Weak

Cash Flow

Strong

Stability

Exceptional

Valuation

Good

Track this stock — start free trial

Winston Score History

The full picture

Saia, Inc. is a trucking company that moves freight across the United States for businesses. It specializes in less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping, which means it combines smaller shipments from multiple customers into one truck rather than dedicating a whole truck to one company. Customers include manufacturers, retailers, and distributors who need reliable regional and national freight delivery.

Saia earns money by charging businesses for each shipment based on weight, distance, and speed of delivery. The company operates a network of over 200 terminals across all 48 contiguous states, making it one of the larger national LTL carriers in the country. Its competitive edge comes from its expanding terminal network, which took years and significant capital to build and is difficult for new competitors to replicate. The main risk Saia faces is that freight volumes are closely tied to the broader economy — when businesses slow down and ship less, revenue and profits can fall quickly.

Growth Profile

For growth stock investors

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+17.1% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

+31.8% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

EPS growth accelerating

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (4%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

0.3%ownership

→ Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$84M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth + cash flow

Saia is a rare growth stock that's already generating positive cash flow while growing at 17%. The Winston Score doesn't fully credit this transition from "burner" to "earner."

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Share count broadly stable

+0.3% over 4y

The share count has stayed roughly flat over this period — little dilution or buyback activity.

Diluted shares outstanding: 26.7M (2021) → 26.8M (2025)

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

Each metric is explained in plain language so you know exactly what you're looking at. Start your free trial now.

Quality

Profit per sale

Gross Margin

18.2%

Thin — 18.2% gross margin

Profit after running costs

Operating Margin

13.1%

Healthy — 13.1% operating margin

Return on the money invested

ROCE

13.3%

Good — 13.3% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Growth

Sales growth

Sales YoY

+4.8%

Slow sales growth (+4.8% YoY)

Profit growth

EPS YoY

-4.2%

Earnings shrinking (-4.2% YoY)

Slight earnings drop. Typical near a cyclical low.

How steady the profit is

EPS Consistency

1/8 quarters

Earnings rarely grow — volatile business

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash

Cash Conversion

218%

Turns 218% of profit into real cash

Spare cash per sale

FCF Margin

7.5%

Modest free cash flow (7.5%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Stability

What it owes vs what it owns

Debt / Equity

0.04

Conservative — low debt load (0.04)

Covers its interest

Interest Cover

31.12x

Comfortably covers interest (31.1x)

Interest coverage above 8. Profits cover interest many times over.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Valuation

Price vs profit

P/E Ratio (TTM)

34.9x

Pricey — P/E 34.9

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year

P/E vs Forward

+13.5

GROWING

Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (34.9 → 21.3)

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Dividends

Not applicable for this business.

🔒 See full fundamentals and if they are improving or declining — click here for your free trial now.

Start free trial