Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY) Earns Buy Rating from Needham & Company LLC

Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by equities research analysts at Needham & Company LLC in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $33.00 price objective on the stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price target points to a potential upside of 57.52% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Waystar in a research note on Monday, March 30th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $28.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $35.00 price objective on shares of Waystar in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Waystar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $41.00 price target on shares of Waystar in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Waystar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $36.38.

Waystar Price Performance

NASDAQ WAY opened at $20.95 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.74. The company has a market cap of $4.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.21. Waystar has a 1 year low of $20.35 and a 1 year high of $42.55.

Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $313.87 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $311.74 million. Waystar had a net margin of 10.90% and a return on equity of 6.99%. Waystar’s quarterly revenue was up 22.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.32 EPS. Waystar has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.590-1.680 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Waystar will post 1.46 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waystar

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Waystar by 120.1% during the 3rd quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd now owns 823 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 449 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waystar by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 106,207 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,478,000 after acquiring an additional 559 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Waystar by 22.1% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,144 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 569 shares during the period. BCS Private Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Waystar by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. BCS Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 7,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $283,000 after acquiring an additional 575 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming lifted its holdings in shares of Waystar by 45.1% during the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 2,098 shares of the company’s stock worth $86,000 after acquiring an additional 652 shares during the period.

Key Waystar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Waystar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: EPS $0.42 vs. $0.39 est. and revenue (~$313.9M) topped consensus; revenue rose ~22% year‑over‑year — a clear near‑term operating beat. Waystar Holding (WAY) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management emphasized AI‑driven product initiatives on the earnings call, highlighting potential for higher long‑term revenue productivity and margin expansion if adoption accelerates. Waystar Holding Corp. Signals AI-Fueled Growth Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: Sell‑side support remains: Needham reaffirmed a “Buy” rating and a $33 price target, reinforcing analyst conviction in Waystar’s growth story. Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY) Receives “Buy” Rating from Needham & Company LLC
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan cut its price target from $40 to $38 but kept an “Overweight” rating — a mixed signal: the firm still expects upside but trimmed near‑term valuation assumptions. Benzinga: JPMorgan lowers Waystar PT
• Negative Sentiment: Management set FY‑2026 revenue around $1.274B–$1.294B and shifted Q2 guidance to flat to +1% sequential growth, flagging near‑term moderation that likely pressured the stock despite the beat. Waystar signals 2026 revenue of $1.274B-$1.294B while shifting Q2 sequential growth to flat-1%

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.