D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Has $1.32 Million Stock Position in Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA - Free Report) by 32.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 82,817 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 20,498 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of Afya worth $1,315,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFYA. Doma Perpetual Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Afya by 92.3% during the 4th quarter. Doma Perpetual Capital Management LLC now owns 567,109 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,006,000 after purchasing an additional 272,200 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in shares of Afya by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 412,000 shares of the company's stock worth $6,543,000 after buying an additional 50,700 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Afya by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 56,341 shares of the company's stock worth $895,000 after acquiring an additional 2,032 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Afya during the 4th quarter valued at about $829,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Afya by 109.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 40,054 shares of the company's stock valued at $636,000 after acquiring an additional 20,957 shares in the last quarter. 88.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Afya Stock Performance

AFYA stock traded down $0.41 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $18.47. The stock had a trading volume of 77,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 124,841. Afya Limited has a 52 week low of $14.52 and a 52 week high of $19.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $18.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.60.

Afya Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a -- dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 26th were paid a $0.232 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 26th. Afya's dividend payout ratio is 17.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AFYA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a "sell" rating and set a $15.00 price objective (down from $18.00) on shares of Afya in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley downgraded Afya from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $19.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $17.60.

About Afya

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.