Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) Stock Rating Upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan upgraded Afya to “overweight” from “neutral,” while lowering its price target to $19 from $21; the new target implies approximately 36.6% upside from the current price.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Afya has an average “Hold” rating and a consensus price target of $17.25, with two Buy ratings and five Hold ratings.
• Afya reported quarterly EPS of $0.43, beating the $0.40 consensus estimate, while revenue came in at $187.8 million versus expectations of $189.62 million. Shares opened at $13.91, up 4.5%.

Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a $19.00 target price on the stock, down from their prior target price of $21.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target would suggest a potential upside of 36.59% from the company's current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Bank of America restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Afya in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Zacks Research upgraded Afya from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Afya from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Bradesco Corretora raised shares of Afya to an "outperform" rating and set a $17.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Afya from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $17.25.

Afya Stock Up 4.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:AFYA opened at $13.91 on Wednesday. The company's fifty day moving average is $13.78 and its 200-day moving average is $14.26. 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 has a 52 week low of $11.62 and a 52 week high of $16.16. The company has a market capitalization of $1.30 billion, a PE ratio of 8.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.34.

Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $187.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $189.62 million. Afya had a net margin of 20.55% and a return on equity of 17.58%. Equities research analysts predict that Afya will post 1.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Santos Welder Ferreira sold 4,161 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.30, for a total value of $55,341.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 35,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $465,500. This represents a 10.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Institutional Trading of Afya

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. bought a new position in shares of Afya during the 4th quarter valued at about $462,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP bought a new stake in Afya during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $325,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Afya during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $67,000. 88.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Afya Company Profile

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.

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