ODFL vs SAIA vs SFWL Stock Comparison

Old Dominion Freight Line, Saia and Shengfeng Development Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
SAIA Saia Inc
$340.86 +5.1% 1M +17.8% 1Y
Market cap
$8.68B
P/E
31.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.39B
Div. yield
–
Trucking Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Old Dominion Freight Line leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Old Dominion Freight Line 8, Saia 2, Shengfeng Development 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionODFLSAIASFWLLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $36.21B $8.68B $32.45M ODFL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 33.2x 31.2x — SAIA
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 30.5x 32.1x — ODFL
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -0.6% +4.8% — SAIA
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 19.4% 8.2% — ODFL
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 24.1% 10.2% — ODFL
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.1x 0.0x — ODFL
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +36.8% +17.8% +553.3% SFWL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +2.2%/yr +1.8%/yr — ODFL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 37.7% 46.5% 270.0% ODFL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 49/100 44/100 — ODFL

Percentile Scorecard

ODFLSAIASFWL

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisODFLSAIASFWL
Valuation 6 #128 of 136 23 #105 of 136 –
Growth 33 #81 of 121 51 #60 of 121 –
Profitability 86 #17 of 115 56 #51 of 115 –
Financial Health 94 #10 of 143 87 #20 of 143 44 #80 of 143
Shareholder Returns 26 #61 of 82 3 #80 of 82 –
Overall 49 44 –
  • ODFL ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • SAIA ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • SFWL ranked among 150 companies in Transportation

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodODFLSAIASFWLSPY
1 month +7.9%+5.1%-34.4% -0.2%
3 months -17.3%-16.9%+638.1% +3.9%
6 months -15.7%-23.1%+596.6% +8.2%
Year to date +19.3%+4.4%+552.6% +12.9%
1 year +36.8%+17.8%+553.3% +12.3%
3 years +1.5%-1.0%-51.8% +87.4%
3 years, per year +0.5%-0.3%-21.6% +23.3%
5 years +11.7%+9.3%— +67.9%
5 years, per year +2.2%+1.8%— +10.9%
10 years +631.8%+880.9%— +261.1%
10 years, per year +22.0%+25.7%— +13.7%

Risk

MeasureODFLSAIASFWLSPY
Volatility, 1Y 37.7%46.5%270.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 37.7%46.6%82.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.941.35-0.93 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.980.382.05 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -45.5%-60.9%-95.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -24.8%-30.0%-45.7% -1.2%
52-week high $248.73$487.14$11.43 $779.14
52-week low $126.29$250.48$0.69 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleODFLSAIASFWL
P/E now vs peer median 35.7xmedian 16.3x 32.8xmedian 16.3x —median 16.3x
P/S now vs peer median 6.9xmedian 1.0x 2.7xmedian 1.0x —median 1.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 21.2xmedian 8.7x 14.5xmedian 8.7x —median 8.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 34.8xmedian 11.4x 35.6xmedian 11.4x —median 11.4x
P/B now vs peer median 8.5xmedian 1.2x 3.3xmedian 1.2x 0.5xmedian 1.2x
PEG now vs peer median -10.28median 0.82 -5.25median 0.82 —median 0.82

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsODFLSAIASFWL
Revenue $5.60B $3.39B –
Operating income $1.45B $374.65M –
Net income $1.09B $277.96M –
Free cash flow $1.11B $255.23M –
EPS (diluted) $5.22 $10.36 –
Cash & equivalents $283.94M $84.01M $16.90M
Total debt $20.00M $100.12M $212.66M
Shares (diluted) 208.72M 26.83M 5.50M
Enterprise value $35.47B $8.50B -$108.18M

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricODFLSAIASFWL
P/E 35.7x 32.8x –
P/FCF 34.8x 35.6x –
P/Operating cash flow 27.8x 15.0x –
P/S 6.9x 2.7x –
P/B 8.5x 3.3x 0.5x
P/Tangible book 8.5x 3.3x 0.5x
EV/EBITDA 21.2x 14.5x –
EV/EBIT 26.6x 24.3x –
EV/Revenue 6.9x 2.7x –
EV/FCF 34.6x 35.7x –
EV/Operating cash flow 27.6x 15.0x –
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -10.28 -5.25 –

Growth

14 metrics
MetricODFLSAIASFWL
Revenue growth (1Y) -0.6% 4.8% –
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -2.0% 7.4% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – –
Operating income growth (1Y) 1.1% -5.4% –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -5.2% -5.3% –
Net income growth (1Y) -0.5% -4.2% –
Net income CAGR (3Y) -5.2% -6.1% –
EPS growth (1Y) 1.1% -4.3% –
EPS CAGR (3Y) -3.5% -6.3% –
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -5.2% -3.2% –
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -4.1% 2.9% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 42.8% 326.1% –
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 19.9% 29.2% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricODFLSAIASFWL
Gross margin – – –
EBITDA margin 32.4% 18.5% –
Operating margin 25.8% 11.0% –
Pretax margin 25.9% 10.8% –
Net margin 19.4% 8.2% –
FCF margin 19.9% 7.5% –
Operating cash flow margin 24.9% 17.9% –
Return on equity 24.3% 5.4% –
Return on assets 19.1% 4.0% –
Return on invested capital 24.1% 10.2% –
Return on capital employed 28.0% 11.4% –
Asset turnover 1.0x 0.9x –
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 2.2x –
Stock comp / revenue – – –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricODFLSAIASFWL
Debt / assets 0.3% 2.7% 23.6%
Debt / equity 0.0x 0.0x 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.1x 0.0x –
Debt / FCF 0.0x 0.4x –
Liabilities / assets 20.7% 26.8% 57.4%
Equity / assets 79.3% 73.2% 42.6%
Interest coverage 2,184x 31.1x –
Current ratio 1.9x 1.6x 1.3x
Quick ratio 1.7x 1.4x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.5x 0.2x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 22.55 7.69 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricODFLSAIASFWL
Dividend yield 0.6% – –
Net buyback yield 1.4% 0.0% –
Shareholder yield 2.0% 0.0% –
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusODFLSAIASFWL
Forward P/E 30.5xFY2026 32.1xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $6.13FY2026 $10.63FY2026 –
EPS growth, next FY +26.7%FY2026 +16.7%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +3.8% +28.5% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.39BFY2026 $3.87BFY2026 –
Revenue growth, next FY +16.1%FY2026 +19.9%FY2026 –
Revenue growth, the year after -5.2% -5.5% –

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersODFLSAIASFWL
Held by institutions 79.6% 100.0% –
Institutions holding 1,025 513 –
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.2% +1.0% –
Institutions buying 543 292 –
Institutions selling 341 152 –
Buyers to sellers 1.59 1.92 –

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ODFLSAIASFWL
ODFL 1.00 0.83 0.00
SAIA 0.83 1.00 -0.03
SFWL 0.00 -0.03 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ODFL, SAIA and SFWL?

Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) $36.21B, Saia (SAIA) $8.68B, Shengfeng Development (SFWL) $32.45M.

Which stock is cheaper, ODFL, SAIA and SFWL?

Saia (SAIA) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) 33.2x, Saia (SAIA) 31.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) is cheapest (Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) 30.5x, Saia (SAIA) 32.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Saia (SAIA) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) -0.6%, Saia (SAIA) +4.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) has the highest net margin (Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) 19.4%, Saia (SAIA) 8.2%). On return on invested capital, Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) leads (Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) 24.1%, Saia (SAIA) 10.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Shengfeng Development (SFWL) returned the most: Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) +36.8%, Saia (SAIA) +17.8%, Shengfeng Development (SFWL) +553.3%. Over five years, Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) compounded fastest (Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) +2.2%/yr, Saia (SAIA) +1.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) has been the steadiest (Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) 37.7%, Saia (SAIA) 46.5%, Shengfeng Development (SFWL) 270.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ODFL, SAIA and SFWL?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) leads on 8. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.