Needham & Company LLC Cuts Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY) Price Target to $33.00

Posted by Max Byerly on Feb 17th, 2026

Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY – Get Free Report) had its price target cut by equities research analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $46.00 to $33.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 38.57% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $44.00 target price on Waystar in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Waystar from $56.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 8th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Waystar in a research report on Monday, December 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $41.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Waystar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Waystar in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $47.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $44.57.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Waystar

Waystar Price Performance

Shares of WAY stock traded up $1.41 on Tuesday, reaching $23.82. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,960,535 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,503,563. The company has a quick ratio of 3.89, a current ratio of 3.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $29.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $34.28. The company has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.34, a PEG ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 0.77. Waystar has a 12-month low of $21.13 and a 12-month high of $48.11.

Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $303.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $294.72 million. Waystar had a return on equity of 6.83% and a net margin of 10.69%.Waystar’s quarterly revenue was up 24.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.29 EPS. Waystar has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.590-1.680 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Waystar will post 0.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waystar news, insider Eric L. (Ric) Sinclair III sold 40,225 shares of Waystar stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.08, for a total transaction of $1,209,968.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 474,826 shares in the company, valued at $14,282,766.08. The trade was a 7.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Melissa F. (Missy) Miller sold 3,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.00, for a total transaction of $125,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 193,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,150,657. This trade represents a 1.73% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 71,650 shares of company stock worth $2,258,535 in the last 90 days. 4.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waystar

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waystar during the third quarter worth $4,002,000. Munro Partners grew its holdings in shares of Waystar by 107.5% during the third quarter. Munro Partners now owns 178,890 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,784,000 after purchasing an additional 92,695 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in shares of Waystar by 2,923.3% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 882,427 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,461,000 after buying an additional 853,239 shares during the period. Oak Ridge Investments LLC bought a new stake in Waystar during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,139,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of Waystar by 32.0% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 515,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,565,000 after acquiring an additional 125,199 shares during the last quarter.

More Waystar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Waystar this week:

Positive Sentiment: Needham reiterated a Buy rating and $33 price target, citing AI-driven growth and solid execution — a supportive analyst view for the stock. Waystar: AI-Driven Growth and Solid Execution Underpin Buy Rating Despite Sector Valuation Pressure
Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue grew ~24% to ~$304M and adjusted EBITDA/margins remained strong; FY 2025 results show solid top-line growth and healthy adjusted profitability — supports medium-term growth narrative. Waystar Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Results, Provides 2026 Guidance
Positive Sentiment: Waystar was named an Inc. Best in Business honoree for AI — a reputational / product endorsement that can help sales momentum in AI-enabled healthcare payments. Waystar Recognized as Inc. Best in Business for AI
Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 EPS guidance of $1.590–1.680 was issued and revenue guidance sits around $1.3B — roughly in line with consensus, so guidance is not a surprise and is unlikely to materially re-rate estimates. Waystar Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Results, Provides 2026 Guidance
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst / industry write-ups highlight a large addressable market and unconverted market share, a reminder of longer-term runway but not an immediate catalyst. Waystar Holding Corp.: A Lot Of Market Share Yet To Convert, In An Ever-Growing Market.
Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS of $0.36 missed consensus ($0.39), which is a near-term negative surprise despite the revenue beat; earnings miss can pressure multiples given valuation sensitivity. Waystar Holding (WAY) Q4 Earnings Lag Estimates
Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put-option activity (5,167 puts, +355% vs. average) indicates elevated hedging or bearish positioning; this raises short-term volatility risk and suggests some investors are skeptical despite the revenue beat.

About Waystar

(Get Free Report)

Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY) is a leading provider of cloud-based revenue cycle management and payment solutions for healthcare organizations. The company’s unified platform streamlines the entire financial continuum of patient care, from eligibility verification and claim submission to payment reconciliation and patient billing. By automating key processes and improving claim accuracy, Waystar helps providers reduce administrative overhead, accelerate cash flow and enhance overall revenue performance.

At the core of Waystar’s offering is a SaaS-based architecture that integrates seamlessly with existing electronic health record (EHR) systems and payer networks.