Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on AFYA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Afya from $21.50 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Afya in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Zacks Research cut Afya from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Afya from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $18.00.

Afya Stock Performance

Shares of AFYA stock opened at $14.68 on Friday. Afya has a 1-year low of $13.00 and a 1-year high of $16.50. The company has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.95, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.20 and a quick ratio of 2.20. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $14.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.34.

Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 14th. The company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $187.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $189.62 million. Afya had a net margin of 20.55% and a return on equity of 17.58%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Afya will post 1.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Afya

In other Afya news, VP Gomiero Mirella Basolli sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.80, for a total transaction of $148,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 34,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $511,044. The trade was a 22.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Lélio de Souza, Jr. sold 36,204 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $543,060.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 87,745 shares of company stock valued at $1,314,175.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Afya

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Afya by 167.3% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 45,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $809,000 after purchasing an additional 28,226 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Afya by 85.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $931,000 after buying an additional 23,961 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Afya during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $117,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of Afya by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 68,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,217,000 after buying an additional 3,626 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Afya during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $249,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.02% of the company’s stock.

Afya Company Profile

Afya Ltd. operates as a leading provider of medical education and training services in Brazil. The company offers a comprehensive suite of educational programs that span undergraduate medical degrees, residency exam preparation, continuing medical education (CME) and digital learning platforms. Through a network of partner institutions and its own campus operations, Afya supports students at every stage of the medical training continuum, from enrollment in medical schools to ongoing professional development for practicing physicians.

At the core of Afya’s offerings is its undergraduate medical program, delivered through a combination of in-person courses at affiliated campuses and fully digital curricula.