Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Waystar Put Options (NASDAQ:WAY)

Waystar Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:WAY) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders acquired 5,167 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 355% compared to the typical volume of 1,136 put options.

Key Headlines Impacting Waystar

Here are the key news stories impacting Waystar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue and full‑year growth beat expectations — Q4 revenue was ~$304M, up ~24% year‑over‑year, and FY‑2025 revenue was $1.099B (up ~17%), signaling strong top‑line momentum that investors rewarded. PR Newswire: Waystar Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management issued 2026 guidance that implies ~17% revenue growth and EPS guidance of $1.59–$1.68, which matched or slightly beat investor hopes and supported the upbeat market reaction. Investing.com: Waystar shares rise as guidance impresses
• Positive Sentiment: Company is highlighting AI‑driven automation and integration as growth levers (and received AI recognition), which investors view as a durable driver of client ROI and future revenue expansion. PR Newswire: Waystar Recognized as Inc. Best in Business for AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts largely remain constructive: Needham reiterated a Buy rating but cut its price target from $46 to $33 — a signal of valuation recalibration even as the analyst still sees upside. TipRanks: Needham reiterates Buy with $33 PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Company provided extensive investor materials and call/transcript coverage — useful for digging into margin drivers and client metrics; transcripts and slide deck are available for deeper review. Yahoo Finance: Q4 Earnings Call Summary
• Negative Sentiment: EPS missed consensus by $0.03 (reported $0.36 vs. $0.39 expected), which tempers the headline and could be cited by short‑term traders as a reason for caution. Zacks: Q4 earnings lag estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed a large jump in put buying (several thousand contracts), indicating some market participants are hedging or taking downside bets — a potential warning about near‑term volatility.

Waystar Price Performance

WAY stock opened at $24.31 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.65 billion, a PE ratio of 39.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 0.75. Waystar has a 12 month low of $21.13 and a 12 month high of $48.11. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $29.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $34.20. The company has a current ratio of 3.89, a quick ratio of 3.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Waystar (NASDAQ:WAY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.03). Waystar had a return on equity of 6.83% and a net margin of 10.69%.The firm had revenue of $303.54 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $294.72 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.29 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Waystar has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.590-1.680 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Waystar will post 0.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Waystar in a report on Thursday, January 8th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $41.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Waystar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Mizuho set a $42.00 target price on shares of Waystar in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $54.00 price target on Waystar in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Waystar from $56.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $44.31.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waystar

In related news, CMO Melissa F. (Missy) Miller sold 3,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.00, for a total transaction of $125,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CTO Christopher L. Schremser sold 8,623 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.41, for a total value of $262,225.43. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 422,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,844,302.11. This represents a 2.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 71,650 shares of company stock worth $2,258,535. Insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Waystar

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waystar by 50.6% in the second 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. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd boosted its position in Waystar by 120.1% in the 3rd quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd now owns 823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 449 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Waystar by 0.5% in 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 in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Waystar by 22.1% during the fourth 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. Finally, BCS Private Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Waystar by 8.4% during the third 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.

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.