Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eight research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $17.20.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on AFYA shares. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Afya in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Zacks Research cut Afya from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen cut Afya from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Afya from $22.00 to $21.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Afya in a report on Monday, April 20th.

Afya Price Performance

AFYA opened at $14.07 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $14.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.54. Afya has a 12-month low of $13.00 and a 12-month high of $18.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.20, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.34.

Insider Activity at Afya

In related news, insider Santos Welder Ferreira sold 3,325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.90, for a total transaction of $52,867.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 35,000 shares in the company, valued at $556,500. This represents a 8.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Luis Andre Carpintero Blanco sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.20, for a total value of $152,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 51,103 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $776,765.60. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 123,547 shares of company stock worth $1,854,920 over the last three months.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Afya

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Doma Perpetual Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Afya by 50.6% during the 3rd quarter. Doma Perpetual Capital Management LLC now owns 891,639 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,910,000 after acquiring an additional 299,419 shares during the period. Swedbank AB raised its position in Afya by 170.3% during the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 189,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,916,000 after purchasing an additional 119,200 shares during the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda bought a new position in Afya during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,895,000. State Street Corp raised its position in Afya by 25.8% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 126,914 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,955,000 after purchasing an additional 26,005 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP raised its position in Afya by 45.5% during the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 89,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,400,000 after purchasing an additional 28,053 shares during the last quarter. 88.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Afya

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.