BMO downgrades Saia, says challenges will take time to overcome

As previously reported, BMO Capital downgraded Saia (SAIA) to Market Perform from Outperform with a price target of $285, down from $455. Saia appears to have struggled to balance growth and profitability amid its network expansion, which has been challenged by the freight recession, and the firm believes challenges will take time to overcome, the analyst tells investors. However, the firm believes results reflect Saia-specific challenges and that concerns over industry pricing power “appear misplaced,” so it maintains an Outperform rating on XPO, Inc (XPO) and recommends purchasing the latter, particularly on any weakness in sympathy with Saia today.