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

Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY) had its price target cut by Needham & Company LLC from $46.00 to $33.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 29.87% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on WAY. Zacks Research cut shares of Waystar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $54.00 price target on shares of Waystar in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Waystar in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $41.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho set a $42.00 price objective on Waystar in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Waystar in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $47.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Waystar presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $37.50.

Waystar Stock Performance

NASDAQ WAY opened at $25.41 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 3.89. Waystar has a 1-year low of $21.13 and a 1-year high of $45.00. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $34.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.86 billion, a PE ratio of 41.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.75.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CTO Christopher L. Schremser sold 8,623 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.41, for a total value of $262,225.43. Following the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 422,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,844,302.11. This represents a 2.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric L. (Ric) Sinclair III sold 40,225 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.08, for a total value of $1,209,968.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 474,826 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,282,766.08. The trade was a 7.81% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 61,949 shares of company stock valued at $1,916,380 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waystar

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Waystar by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,330,872 shares of the company’s stock worth $403,836,000 after buying an additional 41,062 shares in the last quarter. Advent International L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Waystar in the fourth quarter valued at about $362,212,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Waystar by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 5,282,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $172,993,000 after acquiring an additional 19,033 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Waystar by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,134,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,390,000 after acquiring an additional 159,183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in Waystar by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 3,415,442 shares of the company’s stock valued at $129,514,000 after purchasing an additional 146,510 shares during the period.

Trending Headlines about Waystar

Here are the key news stories impacting Waystar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 top-line strength and guidance — Waystar reported Q4 revenue of ~$304M, up ~24% YoY, and issued FY2026 guidance calling for robust revenue growth and EPS of $1.590–$1.680; investors are focusing on the revenue beat and multi-year growth trajectory. PR Newswire: Waystar Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Swing to profitability and upbeat outlook — Commentary and coverage noted Waystar’s swing to GAAP profitability and a double-digit growth outlook for 2026, which supports investor confidence in operating leverage and margin expansion. InsiderMonkey: Waystar Climbs on Swing to Profits
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed earnings print — EPS of $0.36 missed consensus by ~$0.03, but revenue topped estimates; management’s guidance was essentially in line with consensus, leaving the quarter mixed rather than clearly positive or negative. Benzinga: Waystar Q4 Earnings Assessment
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple price-target cuts — Several brokers trimmed targets after the report (Citigroup $46→$35, Truist $51→$38, Needham $46→$33; Mizuho also reduced its target earlier). While many kept Buy/Outperform ratings, lower targets signal moderated near-term expectations. Benzinga: Analysts Cut Forecasts on Waystar
• Negative Sentiment: Put buying spike — Unusual options activity showed a large volume of put purchases (5,167 contracts), which can indicate some traders are hedging or betting on downside volatility. (Market commentary noted the increase in puts around earnings.)
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst-flagged risks — Coverage highlighted emerging risks including competitive pressure and AI-related legal/operational concerns, which could weigh on sentiment if they affect execution or margins. TipRanks: AI Risks Loom Over Waystar
• Negative Sentiment: New 1-year low reported — Some outlets flagged that the stock tested a one-year low following the weak EPS print, underscoring short-term volatility around the report. AmericanBankingNews: Waystar Hits New 1-Year Low

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.