Waystar Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:WAY) Receives $35.14 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of Waystar Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:WAY) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $35.2727.

A number of research firms have commented on WAY. Wolfe Research raised Waystar to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $39.00 price target on shares of Waystar in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Waystar from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Waystar in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Waystar from $36.00 to $33.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th.

Key Headlines Impacting Waystar

Here are the key news stories impacting Waystar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Waystar is reportedly evaluating a potential sale, according to Reuters sources. A transaction could attract private-equity or strategic buyers and potentially provide shareholders with a takeover premium. The reports come roughly two years after Waystar’s IPO and follow a significant stock decline, which may make the company more appealing to acquirers. Reuters report on Waystar exploring strategic options
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports of sale discussions drove strong buying and above-average volume, reflecting investor interest in the possibility of a take-private deal. Analysts cited Waystar’s healthcare software and payments operations as potentially attractive in a broader M&A process. Fierce Healthcare report on Waystar M&A appeal
• Neutral Sentiment: The potential transaction remains exploratory, with no announced buyer, valuation, or assurance that a sale will occur. Investors should therefore treat the takeover speculation as a catalyst rather than a completed corporate event. PYMNTS report on Waystar considering a sale
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays downgraded Waystar from “Overweight” to “Equal Weight.” Although the firm raised its price target to $30 from $27, the downgrade signals less conviction in near-term outperformance and could limit gains if takeover speculation fades. Barclays downgrade of Waystar
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks said Waystar’s latest earnings-estimate revision trend does not indicate further strength, raising concerns about the stock’s fundamental momentum even after its recent rally. Zacks analysis of Waystar stock upside

Waystar Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WAY opened at $26.59 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Waystar has a 1 year low of $17.26 and a 1 year high of $40.35. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $23.94 and a 200-day moving average of $22.77.

Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.03. Waystar had a return on equity of 7.03% and a net margin of 11.18%.The business had revenue of $319.67 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.21 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.36 EPS. Waystar’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waystar will post 1.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Matthew Hawkins sold 82,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.97, for a total transaction of $2,142,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,804,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,870,500.18. This represents a 4.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 165,000 shares of company stock worth $4,206,524 in the last quarter. 3.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in Waystar by 127.1% in the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 29,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $597,000 after buying an additional 16,270 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Waystar during the second quarter worth $3,488,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in shares of Waystar during the second quarter valued at $292,000. Wedmont Private Capital acquired a new position in shares of Waystar during the second quarter valued at $1,292,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Waystar by 23.1% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 793,481 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,290,000 after acquiring an additional 148,846 shares during the last quarter.

About Waystar

Waystar Holding Corp. is a healthcare payments technology company that provides cloud-based software for managing administrative and financial processes across the healthcare system. Its platform connects healthcare providers, health plans and patients, helping organizations simplify complex transactions and improve the efficiency of the revenue cycle.

The company’s products and services include patient eligibility and coverage verification, claims management and submission, payment processing, prior authorization, denial and appeal management, patient billing, and related workflow automation.