Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY) Hits New 12-Month Low on Disappointing Earnings

Waystar Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:WAY)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as low as $21.13 and last traded at $24.31, with a volume of 12468627 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $22.41.

The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 24.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.29 EPS. Waystar has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.590-1.680 EPS.

Key Headlines Impacting Waystar

Here are the key news stories impacting Waystar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results & company outlook: Waystar reported revenue above expectations and highlighted a swing to profitability with a double‑digit growth outlook, which lifted investor sentiment. Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Freedom Capital upgraded WAY from “hold” to “strong‑buy,” supporting near‑term demand for the shares. Zacks – Freedom Capital Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed earnings details: Waystar beat revenue expectations but missed EPS (reported $0.36 vs. $0.39 est.), and issued FY‑2026 EPS guidance (1.590–1.680), creating both upside potential and near‑term uncertainty. Q4 Earnings Assessment
• Neutral Sentiment: Top‑sellside firms trimmed targets but kept constructive ratings: Truist cut its PT to $38 (still a Buy) and Citigroup trimmed its PT to $35 while maintaining Buy—signals of moderated upside rather than a loss of conviction. Benzinga – PT Cuts
• Neutral Sentiment: Mizuho and others reduced targets but kept positive stances (e.g., Outperform), reflecting reassessed competitive risks rather than full downgrades. Mizuho PT Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cutting forecasts and price targets after Q4: Several firms reduced their forecasts/PTs (Needham to $33, others noted in coverage), pressuring expected upside. Needham Lowers PT
• Negative Sentiment: Risk flags and structural concerns: An analyst note highlighted legal, operational and competitive risks — including AI‑related threats — which raise longer‑term execution uncertainty. AI Risk Note
• Negative Sentiment: Volatility: Coverage noted a 1‑year low post‑earnings in some reports; mixed results and multiple PT cuts are keeping the shares volatile. Price Reaction Coverage

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WAY. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective on shares of Waystar from $54.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Freedom Capital upgraded Waystar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Waystar from $41.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Barclays reduced their target price on Waystar from $42.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on Waystar from $51.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $37.19.

Insider Activity at Waystar

In other Waystar news, CMO Melissa F. (Missy) Miller sold 3,400 shares of Waystar stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.00, for a total value of $125,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 193,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,150,657. The trade was a 1.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Eric L. (Ric) Sinclair III sold 40,225 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 474,826 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,282,766.08. This represents a 7.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 61,949 shares of company stock worth $1,916,380 in the last 90 days. 4.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waystar during the third quarter worth $4,002,000. Munro Partners lifted its position in Waystar by 107.5% during the 3rd quarter. Munro Partners now owns 178,890 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,784,000 after buying an additional 92,695 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Waystar by 2,923.3% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 882,427 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,461,000 after acquiring an additional 853,239 shares during the last quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Waystar in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,139,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of Waystar by 32.0% in the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 515,946 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,565,000 after acquiring an additional 125,199 shares during the last quarter.

Waystar Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 3.89, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market capitalization of $4.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 0.75. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $29.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $34.08.

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.