Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY) Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Waystar in a research report on Monday, December 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $41.00 price target on the stock. Barclays cut their target price on Waystar from $42.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Waystar from $51.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Waystar from $46.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Waystar in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waystar currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $37.19.

Waystar Price Performance

NASDAQ WAY opened at $24.35 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $28.99 and its 200-day moving average is $33.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market capitalization of $4.67 billion, a PE ratio of 39.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.77. Waystar has a 12-month low of $21.13 and a 12-month high of $45.00.

Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $303.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $294.72 million. Waystar had a net margin of 10.20% and a return on equity of 6.86%. The business’s revenue was up 24.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.29 EPS. Waystar has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.590-1.680 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Waystar will post 0.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waystar news, CTO Christopher L. Schremser sold 8,623 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.41, for a total transaction of $262,225.43. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 422,371 shares in the company, valued at $12,844,302.11. This trade represents a 2.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric L. (Ric) Sinclair III sold 40,225 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.08, for a total transaction of $1,209,968.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 474,826 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,282,766.08. This trade represents a 7.81% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 58,549 shares of company stock worth $1,790,580 over the last quarter. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Advent International L.P. bought a new stake in Waystar during the 4th quarter valued at $362,212,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Waystar by 35.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,289,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $466,030,000 after acquiring an additional 3,219,586 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in shares of Waystar by 3,883.4% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 3,268,932 shares of the company’s stock valued at $133,601,000 after acquiring an additional 3,186,869 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Waystar during the third quarter worth about $95,497,000. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its stake in shares of Waystar by 4,717.4% in the third quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,814,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,811,000 after purchasing an additional 1,776,979 shares during the last quarter.

About Waystar

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.