Wall Street Zen Downgrades Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY) to Hold

Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research cut Waystar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 1st. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Waystar from $46.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Waystar from $51.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on Waystar from $46.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their target price on Waystar from $54.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $37.19.

Waystar Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WAY opened at $25.07 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $34.02. The stock has a market cap of $4.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.10, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 3.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Waystar has a 12 month low of $21.13 and a 12 month high of $45.00.

Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY) last issued its earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $303.54 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $294.72 million. Waystar had a return on equity of 6.86% and a net margin of 10.20%.The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, analysts predict that Waystar will post 0.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Waystar

In other Waystar news, insider Eric L. (Ric) Sinclair III sold 40,225 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CTO Christopher L. Schremser sold 8,623 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $12,844,302.11. This represents a 2.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 61,949 shares of company stock valued at $1,916,380. 4.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in Waystar in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Waystar by 120.1% in the 3rd quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd now owns 823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 449 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Waystar in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waystar by 6,005.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,160 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,141 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Waystar by 50.6% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares during the last quarter.

Waystar Company Profile

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.