Saia Inc. Common Stock (SAIA)

FairStock Score: 34/100 — RISKY

Key Financials

Strengths

• Solid return on equity of 10.4% above cost of capital
• Conservative balance sheet with debt-to-equity of just 0.12, providing financial flexibility
• Altman Z-Score of 9.1 confirms minimal bankruptcy risk and strong solvency
• Established organization with 13,734 employees providing operational scale

Concerns

• Trades significantly above Graham Number ($144) with negative 207% margin of safety—limited downside protection
• Anemic revenue growth of 0.1% for a company of this size limits long-term upside
• No meaningful dividend despite modest growth—total return depends entirely on multiple expansion

AI Analysis

Saia Inc. Common Stock is a mid-cap industrials company valued at $11.8 billion. The business generates $3.2 billion in annual revenue with a 1.5% net margin. From a quality standpoint, Saia shows Altman Z-Score of 9.1 confirms fortress-level solvency and adequate 10% ROE. On valuation, the stock is commanding a steep 46.3x multiple, with trades far above its Graham Number ($144) with no margin of safety. Growth dynamics show revenue growing at 0.1% and profit growth of -37.6%. Our composite FairStock Score of 34/100 reflects below-average fundamentals overall. Investors should weigh the business quality against the current price and their own margin of safety requirements.

Bull Case

Improving fundamentals and sector tailwinds could drive meaningful earnings growth, compressing the effective multiple for patient investors. Operational leverage in the business model means incremental revenue growth could disproportionately boost bottom-line profitability.

Bear Case

At 46x earnings, any growth disappointment triggers rapid multiple compression—a 20% earnings miss plus multiple contraction to 20x implies 40%+ downside. Sluggish 0% growth in a large-cap company leaves the stock vulnerable to de-rating if the market rotates toward higher-growth opportunities.

Data from SEC filings. AI analysis is for educational purposes only — not investment advice. Scoring methodology · Disclaimer