Insider Trading February 17, 2026

SAIA Operations Executive Disposes $1.05M in Stock as Company Posts Mixed Results

Patrick D. Sugar sells shares amid strong share-price run and lingering valuation and earnings concerns

By Caleb Monroe SAIA
SAIA Operations Executive Disposes $1.05M in Stock as Company Posts Mixed Results
SAIA

Patrick D. Sugar, SAIA INC's Executive Vice President of Operations, sold 2,706 shares on Feb. 13, 2026, for about $1.05 million while the stock traded near $388. The company reported a significant year-over-year decline in adjusted Q4 EPS and faces mixed analyst reactions on valuation and outlook despite recent upward momentum in the share price.

Key Points

  • SAIA EVP of Operations Patrick D. Sugar sold 2,706 shares on Feb. 13, 2026, at $386.7401 per share for a total of $1,046,518.
  • On Feb. 12, 2026, Sugar received 2,085 shares valued at $0 under a long-term incentive program; after these moves he owns 9,121 common shares and 1,115.837 Phantom Stock shares.
  • SAIA reported adjusted Q4 EPS of $1.77, a 38% decline year-over-year, and took $4.7 million in elevated casualty charges from prior-year accidents; analyst reactions were mixed with several price-target and rating changes.

Patrick D. Sugar, who serves as Executive Vice President of Operations at SAIA INC (NASDAQ:SAIA), completed a sale of 2,706 shares of the company's common stock on February 13, 2026. The shares changed hands at $386.7401 each, producing a total transaction value of $1,046,518. At the time of the sale, SAIA shares were trading close to $388 and had recorded roughly a 30% gain over the prior six months, even as InvestingPro Fair Value estimates characterize the stock as overvalued.

One day earlier, on February 12, 2026, Sugar received 2,085 shares of Common Stock valued at $0 under a long-term incentive plan. The company currently carries a reported market capitalization of $10.3 billion and trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.5.

Following these transactions, Sugar's direct holdings include 9,121 shares of common stock and 1,115.837 shares of Phantom Stock. InvestingPro data summarized SAIA's overall financial health with a rating of FAIR and noted there are more than a dozen additional ProTips that could shed further light on the firm's stock-price volatility and valuation measures.


SAIA's recent financial disclosures add context to the insider activity. The company reported adjusted fourth-quarter earnings per share of $1.77, a decline of 38% compared with the prior year and short of analysts' expectations. Management attributed part of the pressure on results to elevated casualties from prior-year accidents, totaling $4.7 million, which weighed on the bottom line.

Analysts have reacted unevenly to the earnings and current valuation. Benchmark raised its price target to $400 and maintained a Buy rating. BMO Capital lifted its target to $415 while assigning a Market Perform rating. BofA Securities increased its target to $413, citing a constructive margin outlook but retained a Neutral rating. Conversely, Susquehanna downgraded the stock to Neutral on valuation grounds and set a $425 price target. Morgan Stanley moved to Underweight and set a $250 target after characterizing the quarter as a "modest miss." These changes reflect divergent views across the analyst community on near-term performance and longer-term valuation.


The sequence of events presents a mixed picture: notable insider selling and a long-term incentive grant occurred alongside a recent share-price rally and elevated valuation metrics. Meanwhile, the company’s quarter showed a substantial earnings decline and a specific, quantified charge related to prior-year accidents. Analyst responses vary, with price-target changes and rating adjustments on both sides of the spectrum.

Readers should note that the facts presented here are limited to the disclosed transactions, published financial results, and the analyst actions described above. No additional interpretation or speculative conclusions are offered beyond those reported.

Risks

  • Earnings volatility - SAIA reported a 38% decline in adjusted Q4 EPS and recorded $4.7 million in elevated casualty costs from prior-year accidents, which directly impacted profitability and could influence near-term earnings performance (impacts equity investors and capital markets).
  • Valuation concerns - The stock has rallied nearly 30% over six months but is viewed as overvalued by InvestingPro Fair Value estimates and trades at a high P/E of 40.5, creating uncertainty around future price support (impacts equity valuation and investor sentiment).
  • Analyst divergence - Recent analyst moves include upgrades in price targets alongside downgrades in ratings, including a move to Underweight by Morgan Stanley and a Neutral downgrade by Susquehanna, leading to mixed signals for investors and potential short-term trading volatility (impacts institutional and retail investor behavior).

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