Saia, Inc. vs WERNER ENTERPRISES, INC., two Trucking stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Saia's less-than-truckload economics keep it well clear of the losses hitting Werner Enterprises' truckload fleet. Saia earns a 7.84% net margin and a 9.71% return on equity; Werner posts negative 0.28% and negative 0.63% through the freight downturn. Saia generates positive free cash at a 1.68% yield where Werner's runs negative 1.71%, and carries far less leverage, 0.04 against Werner's 0.66 debt-to-equity. Saia trades at 45.27 times earnings and 4.40 times book; Werner shows no earnings multiple this cycle and trades at 1.89 times book. Werner pays a 1.31% dividend where Saia pays none. At $11.6B, Saia is more than four times Werner's $2.6B.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | SAIA | WERN |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $420.62 | $43.80 |
| Market cap | $11.3B | $2.6B |
| Sector | Trucking | Trucking |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | -3.1% |
| P/E | 44.2 | — |
| P/B | 4.29 | 1.94 |
| P/S | 3.47 | 0.85 |
| EV/EBITDA | 18.9 | 160.6 |
| Revenue growth | +0.4% | +3.4% |
| Operating margin | 8.3% | 0.5% |
| Net margin | 7.8% | -0.3% |
| Return on equity | 9.7% | -0.6% |
| Return on assets | 7.2% | -0.3% |
| Return on invested capital | 9.8% | 0.8% |
| FCF yield | 1.7% | -1.7% |
| Dividend yield | — | 1.3% |
| Debt / equity | 0.04 | 0.66 |
| Current ratio | 1.52 | 1.46 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.95 | 2.68 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 5 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.