Cerity Partners LLC Invests $476,000 in Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA)

Key Points

• Cerity Partners LLC has acquired 26,568 shares of Afya Limited, valued at approximately $476,000, as part of their new investment in the company during the first quarter.
• Institutional investors currently hold 88.02% of Afya's stock, signifying strong institutional interest in the company.
• Afya's stock rating has seen a downgrade from "buy" to "hold" by Wall Street Zen, with a consensus target price now set at $17.60.

Cerity Partners LLC bought a new stake in Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 26,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $476,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Doma Perpetual Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Afya by 92.3% in the fourth quarter. Doma Perpetual Capital Management LLC now owns 567,109 shares of the company's stock worth $9,006,000 after purchasing an additional 272,200 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in Afya in the fourth quarter valued at $829,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in Afya by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 412,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,543,000 after acquiring an additional 50,700 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Afya by 54.3% in the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 97,313 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,545,000 after acquiring an additional 34,246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Afya by 109.7% in the fourth 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.

Afya Price Performance

NASDAQ AFYA traded up $0.36 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $14.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 46,663 shares, compared to its average volume of 111,388. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $17.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Afya Limited has a 1 year low of $13.47 and a 1 year high of $19.90. The company has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.75, a PEG ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.58.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AFYA has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $19.50 price objective (up previously from $17.50) on shares of Afya in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Citigroup raised Afya from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $16.00 to $14.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Afya from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Afya currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $17.40.

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.