Saia Inc (SAIA)

Operating return on assets (Operating ROA)

		Dec 31, 2024	Sep 30, 2024	Jun 30, 2024	Mar 31, 2024	Dec 31, 2023	Sep 30, 2023	Jun 30, 2023	Mar 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2022	Sep 30, 2022	Jun 30, 2022	Mar 31, 2022	Dec 31, 2021	Sep 30, 2021	Jun 30, 2021	Mar 31, 2021	Dec 31, 2020	Sep 30, 2020	Jun 30, 2020	Mar 31, 2020
Operating income (ttm)	US$ in thousands	482,160	493,339	496,603	479,265	460,496	440,524	440,444	466,182	470,488	475,182	452,944	389,876	335,141	288,404	237,503	190,259	180,321	157,103	147,246	162,731
Total assets	US$ in thousands	3,166,860	3,082,120	2,957,120	2,765,710	2,583,560	2,485,320	2,337,110	2,242,800	2,174,710	2,140,320	2,047,860	1,932,350	1,845,250	1,789,260	1,647,400	1,610,580	1,548,770	1,565,680	1,538,200	1,577,260
Operating ROA		15.23%	16.01%	16.79%	17.33%	17.82%	17.73%	18.85%	20.79%	21.63%	22.20%	22.12%	20.18%	18.16%	16.12%	14.42%	11.81%	11.64%	10.03%	9.57%	10.32%

December 31, 2024 calculation

Operating ROA = Operating income (ttm) ÷ Total assets
= $482,160K ÷ $3,166,860K
= 15.23%

Operating return on assets (operating ROA) is a key financial metric that indicates how efficiently a company is generating profits from its assets used in its core operations. Analyzing the data provided for Saia Inc, we observe a fluctuating trend in operating ROA from March 2020 to December 2024.

The operating ROA for Saia Inc started at 10.32% in March 2020 and generally increased over the years, reaching its peak at 22.20% in September 2022. This upward trend indicates improving efficiency in generating profits from the company's assets.

However, from the peak in September 2022, the operating ROA began to decline gradually, with a slight decrease seen in each subsequent quarter until December 2024, where it stood at 15.23%. This decline suggests a potential decrease in profitability relative to the assets being employed in the company's operations.

Overall, the fluctuating trend in operating ROA for Saia Inc indicates varying levels of efficiency in utilizing its assets to generate operating profits during the period under review. It is important for investors and stakeholders to monitor this metric closely to assess the company's operational performance and profitability sustainability.