Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) Sees Large Volume Increase – Still a Buy?

Shares of Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 249,783 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 127% from the previous session’s volume of 110,208 shares.The stock last traded at $14.9780 and had previously closed at $14.91.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AFYA shares. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Afya in a report on Thursday, June 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Afya from $21.50 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Afya from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Zacks Research cut shares of Afya from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Afya from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $18.00.

Afya Trading Down 0.3%

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $14.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.34. The company has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.95, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 14th. The company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.03. Afya had a return on equity of 17.58% and a net margin of 20.55%.The company had revenue of $187.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $189.62 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Afya Limited will post 1.84 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Afya

In other news, VP Gomiero Mirella Basolli sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.80, for a total value of $148,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 34,530 shares in the company, valued at $511,044. This represents a 22.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Lélio de Souza, Jr. sold 41,541 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $623,115.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 36,204 shares in the company, valued at approximately $543,060. This represents a 53.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 87,745 shares of company stock worth $1,314,175. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AFYA. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Afya in the 2nd quarter valued at about $67,000. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in Afya in the 4th quarter worth approximately $215,000. Mangrove Partners IM LLC purchased a new position in Afya in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $197,000. State Street Corp raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 26,005 shares during the period. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC lifted its position in shares of Afya by 45.3% during the fourth quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 39,683 shares of the company’s stock worth $612,000 after acquiring an additional 12,365 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.02% of the company’s stock.

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.