Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) Sees Large Volume Increase – Time to Buy?

Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) saw strong trading volume on Thursday . 361,941 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 198% from the previous session’s volume of 121,295 shares.The stock last traded at $13.5380 and had previously closed at $13.68.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on AFYA shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Afya from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 5th. Weiss Ratings cut Afya from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Afya in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Zacks Research downgraded Afya from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Afya from $21.50 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $18.00.

Afya Stock Down 1.2%

The company has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a PE ratio of 8.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.20 and a quick ratio of 2.20.

Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 14th. The company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $187.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $189.62 million. Afya had a return on equity of 17.58% and a net margin of 20.55%. Research analysts anticipate that Afya Limited will post 1.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Afya

In other Afya news, VP Gomiero Mirella Basolli sold 10,000 shares of Afya stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 26th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 22.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Lélio de Souza, Jr. sold 36,204 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total transaction of $543,060.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 87,745 shares of company stock worth $1,314,175 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Afya

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Swedbank AB increased its stake in Afya by 170.3% during the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 189,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,916,000 after buying an additional 119,200 shares during the period. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd lifted its stake in Afya by 22.3% during the fourth quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 30,697 shares of the company’s stock worth $473,000 after purchasing an additional 5,599 shares during the last quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. acquired a new position in Afya in the fourth quarter worth $462,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP acquired a new stake in shares of Afya during the second quarter worth $325,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in shares of Afya in the 2nd quarter worth about $67,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.02% of the company’s stock.

About Afya

Afya Limited is a Brazilian medical education and technology company that operates an integrated platform for physicians and medical students. The company provides education and professional development throughout the medical career cycle, from undergraduate training and residency preparation to continuing medical education and specialization programs.

Afya’s offerings include medical schools, preparatory courses, postgraduate and continuing education programs, digital learning tools, and clinical practice technologies.