LSTR vs SAIA
Landstar System Inc. and Saia Inc., side by side — 10 fiscal years reported in USD, drawn from SEC filings.
Most recent reported year
| Metric | LSTR | SAIA |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $4.7B | $3.2B |
| Net income | $115.0M | $255.0M |
| Gross margin | · | · |
| Net margin | 2.4% | 7.9% |
| Return on equity | 13.0% | 10.4% |
| Diluted EPS | $3.31 | $9.52 |
| Dividend / share | $3.56 | · |
| Payout ratio | 108.5% | · |
| Free cash flow | $215.0M | $27.3M |
| Equity | $795.7M | $2.6B |
| Net debt / equity | −0.50× | 0.06× |
| Current ratio | 1.75× | 1.64× |
| Revenue CAGR 5y | 2.8% | 12.2% |
| Profit CAGR 5y | −9.8% | 13.0% |
LSTR bills 1.5× the revenue of SAIA, and SAIA keeps more of each dollar of revenue as profit (7.9% against 2.4%).
The stronger figure of the pair is set in bold. That is arithmetic, not a recommendation — this page does not pick a winner. "·" marks a figure not available in our data.
10 years side by side
| Fiscal year | LSTR | SAIA |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $4.7B | $3.2B |
| FY2024 | $4.8B | $3.2B |
| FY2023 | $5.3B | $2.9B |
| FY2022 | $7.4B | $2.8B |
| FY2021 | $6.5B | $2.3B |
| FY2020 | $4.1B | $1.8B |
| FY2019 | $4.1B | $1.8B |
| FY2018 | $4.6B | $1.7B |
| FY2017 | $3.6B | $1.4B |
| FY2016 | $3.2B | $1.3B |
Bottom line
| Fiscal year | LSTR | SAIA |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $115.0M | $255.0M |
| FY2024 | $195.9M | $362.1M |
| FY2023 | $264.4M | $354.9M |
| FY2022 | $430.9M | $357.4M |
| FY2021 | $381.5M | $253.2M |
| FY2020 | $192.1M | $138.3M |
| FY2019 | $227.7M | $113.7M |
| FY2018 | $255.3M | $105.0M |
| FY2017 | $177.1M | $91.1M |
| FY2016 | $137.3M | $48.0M |
17 fiscal years
| Fiscal year | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | +$1,509,474,000 | LSTR |
| FY2024 | +$1,610,171,000 | LSTR |
| FY2023 | +$2,421,889,000 | LSTR |
| FY2022 | +$4,644,505,000 | LSTR |
| FY2021 | +$4,248,864,000 | LSTR |
| FY2020 | +$2,310,615,000 | LSTR |
| FY2019 | +$2,297,842,000 | LSTR |
| FY2018 | +$2,961,295,000 | LSTR |
| FY2017 | +$2,241,661,000 | LSTR |
| FY2016 | +$1,917,243,000 | LSTR |
| FY2015 | +$2,099,780,000 | LSTR |
| FY2014 | +$1,912,469,000 | LSTR |
| FY2013 | +$1,525,686,000 | LSTR |
| FY2012 | +$1,672,120,000 | LSTR |
| FY2011 | +$1,598,150,000 | LSTR |
| FY2010 | +$1,497,510,000 | LSTR |
| FY2009 | +$1,159,655,000 | LSTR |
LSTR has reported the higher revenue in every one of these 17 fiscal years. The gap has widened since the earliest year compared.
17 of 17 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
17 fiscal years
| Fiscal year | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | −5.5 pp | SAIA |
| FY2024 | −7.2 pp | SAIA |
| FY2023 | −7.3 pp | SAIA |
| FY2022 | −7.0 pp | SAIA |
| FY2021 | −5.2 pp | SAIA |
| FY2020 | −2.9 pp | SAIA |
| FY2019 | −0.8 pp | SAIA |
| FY2018 | −0.8 pp | SAIA |
| FY2017 | −1.6 pp | SAIA |
| FY2016 | +0.5 pp | LSTR |
| FY2015 | −0.1 pp | SAIA |
| FY2014 | +0.3 pp | LSTR |
| FY2013 | +1.6 pp | LSTR |
| FY2012 | +1.8 pp | LSTR |
| FY2011 | +3.2 pp | LSTR |
| FY2010 | +3.4 pp | LSTR |
| FY2009 | +4.4 pp | LSTR |
The higher net margin has changed hands between LSTR and SAIA over this period.
17 of 17 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Standard deviation, each side
SAIA's net margin has been more volatile than LSTR's over the 17 comparable fiscal years — 4.0 percentage points of standard deviation against 0.9.
17 of 17 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Year by year
The lead in net margin changed hands between LSTR and SAIA over these 17 fiscal years — LSTR led in 7 and SAIA in 10.
17 of 17 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Standard deviation, each side
LSTR's return on equity has been more volatile than SAIA's over the 17 comparable fiscal years — 8.9 percentage points of standard deviation against 7.2.
17 of 18 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Year by year
LSTR led in return on equity in every one of the 17 comparable fiscal years — a structural lead, not a recent swing.
17 of 18 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.