Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) Short Interest Up 16.9% in February

Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 569,304 shares, a growth of 16.9% from the February 12th total of 486,925 shares. Approximately 0.6% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 71,756 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 7.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 71,756 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 7.9 days. Approximately 0.6% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Afya

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Doma Perpetual Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Afya by 50.6% in 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 in the last quarter. Swedbank AB grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 119,200 shares in the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda acquired a new stake in Afya during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,895,000. State Street Corp raised its stake 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 period. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Afya by 45.5% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on AFYA shares. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Afya to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen raised Afya from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $22.00 target price (down from $24.50) on shares of Afya in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Bank of America downgraded Afya from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $22.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.00 price target (down from $18.00) on shares of Afya in a research note on Friday, January 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Afya presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.30.

Afya Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AFYA opened at $14.30 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $14.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $14.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.52. Afya has a 1-year low of $13.00 and a 1-year high of $19.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.05. Afya had a return on equity of 18.77% and a net margin of 20.31%.The firm had revenue of $147.08 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.74 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Afya will post 1.52 earnings per share for the current year.

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.