Waystar Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:WAY) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately bullish: Twenty of 25 analysts rate Waystar a “buy,” two rate it a “strong buy,” and three recommend holding. The average 12-month price target is $35.14, above the stock’s reported $23.86 price.
• Waystar exceeded quarterly expectations: The company reported adjusted earnings of $0.43 per share versus the $0.40 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $319.67 million and rose 18.1% year over year.
• Insiders have recently reduced their holdings: CEO Matthew Hawkins sold 82,500 shares for about $2.14 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, and insiders sold 165,000 shares worth approximately $4.21 million over the past 90 days.

Shares of Waystar Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:WAY - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-five research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $35.1364.

WAY has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Waystar from $36.00 to $33.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. KeyCorp restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Waystar in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waystar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, May 24th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of Waystar in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $44.00 price objective on shares of Waystar in a research note on Thursday, August 27th.

Waystar Price Performance

Waystar stock opened at $23.86 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.85. The stock has a market cap of $4.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $23.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.77. Waystar has a 1 year low of $17.26 and a 1 year high of $40.97.

Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. The business had revenue of $319.67 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.21 million. Waystar had a net margin of 11.18% and a return on equity of 7.03%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.36 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Waystar will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waystar news, CEO Matthew Hawkins sold 82,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.97, for a total transaction of $2,142,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,804,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,870,500.18. This trade represents a 4.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 165,000 shares of company stock worth $4,206,524 in the last ninety days. 3.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waystar

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAY. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its holdings in Waystar by 6,475.0% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,036 shares in the last quarter. Essential Partners LLC lifted its position in Waystar by 1,432.7% during the first quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 1,548 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 1,447 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Waystar by 6,005.3% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,160 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,141 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Waystar by 3,219.0% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,394 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 1,352 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OP Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in Waystar in the first quarter worth $58,000.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.