Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Afya Limited experienced a 36.6% increase in short interest in July, resulting in a total of 296,800 shares sold short as of July 31st.
• Several brokerages have issued mixed ratings for Afya, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $17.50.
• Hedge funds increased their holdings in Afya, with JPMorgan Chase & Co. raising its stake by over 2,115%, now owning 6,670 shares worth $106,000.

Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 296,800 shares, agrowthof36.6% from the July 15th total of 217,200 shares. Currently,2.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 125,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days. Based on an average trading volume of 125,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days. Currently,2.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AFYA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Afya from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Zacks Research upgraded Afya to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Citigroup raised shares of Afya from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $16.00 to $14.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $19.50 price target (up from $17.50) on shares of Afya in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $17.50 price objective on shares of Afya and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $17.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Afya

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Afya during the 2nd quarter valued at about $164,000. Militia Capital Partners LP bought a new stake in Afya during the second quarter valued at about $71,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Afya by 166.6% during the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 18,463 shares of the company's stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 11,537 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager LP purchased a new position in shares of Afya in the second quarter worth $363,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Afya by 175.2% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 25,511 shares of the company's stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 16,241 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.02% of the company's stock.

Afya Stock Up 0.6%

AFYA stock traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $15.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 61,347 shares, compared to its average volume of 121,696. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Afya has a 12 month low of $13.47 and a 12 month high of $19.90. The company has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a PE ratio of 11.42, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.53. The firm's 50-day moving average is $15.76 and its 200-day moving average is $17.18.

Afya Company Profile

Afya Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates as a medical education group in Brazil. The company operates through three segments: Undergrad, Continuing Education, and Digital Services. It offers educational products and services, including medical schools, medical residency preparatory courses, graduate courses, and other programs to lifelong medical learners enrolled across its distribution network, as well as to third-party medical schools.