Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Waystar Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:WAY) gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $22.41, but opened at $23.50. Waystar shares last traded at $21.72, with a volume of 1,608,766 shares changing hands.

Waystar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Waystar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue beat and solid growth — Waystar reported Q4 revenue of ~$304M, up ~24% year-over-year and above consensus, and FY2025 revenue was $1.099B. Strong revenue growth and healthy adjusted margins support the growth story. PR Newswire Release
• Positive Sentiment: FY2026 guidance intact — Waystar set FY2026 EPS guidance of $1.590–$1.680 (roughly in line with consensus) and reiterated revenue targets, which reduces uncertainty around next-year expectations. Press Release / Guidance Slide
• Positive Sentiment: AI recognition and growth narrative — The company was named an Inc. Best in Business honoree for AI, and analysts (Needham) highlight AI-driven growth and execution as reasons to keep a Buy rating. That thematic support likely helped investor confidence. TipRanks / Analyst Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst price target cut but Buy maintained — Needham lowered its price target from $46 to $33 while reiterating a Buy. That reduces the numeric upside but preserves analyst support; it’s mixed in its effect. Benzinga Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials and call available — Earnings call transcript and the slide deck were published, giving investors more detail to model forward performance. Additional analysis pieces (Zacks, Seeking Alpha) provide metric comparisons. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: EPS missed consensus — Reported EPS of $0.36 missed the $0.39 consensus (though revenue beat), which can temper near-term upside and raises focus on margin and cost execution. Zacks Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual put activity — Heavy buying of put options (notable jump vs. average) suggests some traders are hedging or taking bearish positions, which can increase volatility and indicate short-term downside risk. (No direct link provided)

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAY has been the topic of several analyst reports. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Waystar in a report on Monday, February 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $43.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $44.00 target price on shares of Waystar in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Waystar in a research note on Monday, December 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $41.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Waystar from $49.00 to $46.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waystar in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Waystar presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $44.57.

Waystar Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 3.89 and a current ratio of 3.89. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $29.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $34.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 0.77.

Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY) last issued its 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). Waystar had a net margin of 10.69% and a return on equity of 6.83%. The company had revenue of $303.54 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $294.72 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.29 earnings per share. The business’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. Equities research analysts expect that Waystar Holding Corp. will post 0.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waystar

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waystar during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd increased its position in Waystar by 120.1% in the 3rd quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd now owns 823 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 449 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in Waystar during the third quarter worth $38,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Waystar by 6,005.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Waystar by 50.6% in 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.

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.