JPMorgan Chase & Co. Cuts Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) Price Target to $21.50

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered its price target on Afya from $22.00 to $21.50 and kept a neutral rating, which implies roughly a 49% upside from the current share price (~$14.41).
• The analyst consensus remains a Hold with a $17.20 consensus price target after mixed reports (one Strong Buy, one Buy and six Hold among analysts).
• Company insiders have been net sellers recently, offloading 123,547 shares worth about $1.85 million in the past 90 days, with insiders now owning 0.80% of the stock.

Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA - Get Free Report) had its target price reduced by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $22.00 to $21.50 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price would indicate a potential upside of 49.20% from the stock's current price.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on AFYA. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $16.00 price target (down from $18.00) on shares of Afya in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Zacks Research raised shares of Afya from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Afya from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Afya in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Afya to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $17.20.

Afya Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:AFYA traded up $0.34 during trading on Thursday, hitting $14.41. 99,906 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 110,145. Afya has a 1-year low of $13.00 and a 1-year high of $19.90. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $14.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.65. The company has a current ratio of 2.20, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.87, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.48.

Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.05. Afya had a net margin of 20.31% and a return on equity of 18.77%. The company had revenue of $147.08 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.74 million. Equities analysts predict that Afya will post 1.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Afya

In related news, VP De Sousa Anibal Jose Grifo sold 14,000 shares of Afya stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.41, for a total transaction of $215,740.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 31,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $477,710. This trade represents a 31.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Luis Andre Carpintero Blanco sold 10,000 shares of Afya stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.20, for a total transaction of $152,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 51,103 shares in the company, valued at approximately $776,765.60. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 123,547 shares of company stock worth $1,854,920 over the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AFYA. Doma Perpetual Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Afya by 50.6% in the third quarter. Doma Perpetual Capital Management LLC now owns 891,639 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,910,000 after buying an additional 299,419 shares in the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda bought a new position in Afya in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,895,000. Swedbank AB lifted its stake in Afya by 170.3% in the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 189,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,916,000 after buying an additional 119,200 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in Afya in the second quarter valued at approximately $731,000. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd bought a new position in Afya in the third quarter valued at approximately $610,000. Institutional investors own 88.02% of the company's stock.

About Afya

Afya Ltd. operates as a leading provider of medical education and training services in Brazil. The company offers a comprehensive suite of educational programs that span undergraduate medical degrees, residency exam preparation, continuing medical education (CME) and digital learning platforms. Through a network of partner institutions and its own campus operations, Afya supports students at every stage of the medical training continuum, from enrollment in medical schools to ongoing professional development for practicing physicians.

At the core of Afya's offerings is its undergraduate medical program, delivered through a combination of in-person courses at affiliated campuses and fully digital curricula.

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