Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Monday,Zacks reports.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Wall Street Zen raised Afya from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 5th. Bradesco Corretora raised Afya to an “outperform” rating and set a $17.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price 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 report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Afya in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Afya has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.25.

Afya Price Performance

Shares of AFYA opened at $13.90 on Monday. Afya has a fifty-two week low of $11.62 and a fifty-two week high of $16.16. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $13.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $14.26. The stock has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a PE ratio of 8.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a current ratio of 2.20.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Santos Welder Ferreira sold 4,161 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.30, for a total value of $55,341.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 35,000 shares in the company, valued at $465,500. The trade was a 10.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Afya

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Engineers Gate Manager LP bought a new stake in shares of Afya in the second quarter worth $325,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Afya during the second quarter valued at $67,000. Finally, Banco BTG Pactual S.A. purchased a new stake in Afya during the fourth quarter valued at $462,000. Institutional investors own 88.02% of the company’s stock.

Key Afya News

Here are the key news stories impacting Afya this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded Afya to Overweight. The firm raised its rating from Neutral while setting a $19 price target. Although the target was reduced from $21, it still implies substantial potential upside from recent trading levels. JPMorgan upgrades Afya to Overweight
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Afya from Strong Sell to Hold. The change improves the near-term analyst sentiment, although it does not represent a bullish Buy recommendation. Afya stock moved up to Hold by Zacks Research
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation remains a key attraction. Zacks’ value analysis and a separate GuruFocus report highlight Afya as a potentially undervalued stock. Afya trades at a relatively low reported P/E ratio of approximately 8.5, while its latest quarterly earnings exceeded analyst expectations. GuruFocus Afya valuation analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Value investors are comparing Afya with Universal Technical Institute. The comparison reflects investor interest in Afya’s valuation, but the article does not provide a new company-specific earnings or business update. AFYA or UTI value stock comparison
• Negative Sentiment: An Afya insider sold 4,161 shares for approximately $55,341, reducing his position by 10.63%. The transaction is relatively small but may weigh on sentiment because it represents insider selling rather than buying. Afya insider stock sale

About Afya

Afya Limited (NASDAQ: AFYA) is a Brazil-based medical education and health technology company. The company provides education and professional development for physicians and other healthcare professionals, with activities spanning undergraduate medical programs, medical residency preparation, specialization courses, continuing medical education and digital learning services.

Afya also develops technology-enabled products designed to support healthcare professionals throughout their careers.