Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) Stock Price Down 5.9% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Afya Limited's shares fell by 5.9% to close at $13.61, a significant drop from its prior closing of $14.47, indicating a declining trend in the stock's performance.
• Analysts have downgraded the stock, with Wall Street Zen reducing its rating from "buy" to "hold" and UBS maintaining a "neutral" rating with a price target increase to $19.50.
• A substantial percentage of Afya's stock, approximately 88.02%, is owned by institutional investors, reflecting a strong interest from major funds following increased stakes by entities like JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA - Get Free Report) dropped 5.9% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $13.82 and last traded at $13.61. Approximately 102,180 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 7% from the average daily volume of 110,065 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.47.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AFYA. Citigroup upgraded Afya from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $16.00 to $14.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Afya from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $19.50 price objective (up from $17.50) on shares of Afya in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $17.40.

Afya Stock Down 0.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42. The company has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of 10.30, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.31.

Institutional Trading of Afya

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Afya in the 4th quarter valued at about $829,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new position in Afya in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new position in Afya in the first quarter valued at approximately $476,000. Yorktown Management & Research Co Inc purchased a new position in Afya in the first quarter valued at approximately $321,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in Afya by 27.2% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 78,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,248,000 after buying an additional 16,800 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.02% of the company's stock.

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.