Saia Q4 EPS Drops 38%, Revenue Edges Up to $790M
Saia reported Q4 EPS of $1.77, missing estimates by $0.13 and down from $2.84 year-over-year, while revenue rose slightly 0.1% to $790 million, beating forecasts. Operating income plunged 36.9% to $64 million and the operating ratio deteriorated to 91.9% from 87.1%, highlighting margin pressure.
1. Q4 Earnings Miss and Revenue Beat
Saia reported fourth-quarter EPS of $1.77, below the $1.90 consensus, and down from $2.84 in the prior year, resulting in a 6.8% earnings surprise to the downside. Revenue came in at $790 million, surpassing estimates of $773.8 million and marking a 0.1% year-over-year increase, demonstrating resilience in sales.
2. Operational Challenges and Margin Pressure
Operating income declined by 36.9% to $64 million as the operating ratio worsened to 91.9% from 87.1% a year ago. LTL shipments fell 0.5% and tonnage per workday decreased 1.5%, indicating capacity and efficiency headwinds that pressured profitability.
3. Balance Sheet and Valuation Metrics
Saia maintains a conservative debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, underlining a strong capital structure. The stock trades at a P/E of 36.7 and a price-to-sales ratio of 3.2, reflecting high market expectations despite recent margin setbacks.