Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) Sees Large Volume Increase - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Afya’s trading volume surged 127% to approximately 249,783 shares, while the stock traded near $14.98, modestly above its prior close of $14.91.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: five analysts rate the stock Hold and one rates it Sell, producing a consensus “Reduce” rating and an $18.00 price target.
• Afya exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $0.43 versus the $0.40 consensus, although revenue of $187.8 million fell short of estimates. Insiders also sold 87,745 shares worth about $1.31 million over the past 90 days.

Shares of Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA - Get Free Report) saw an uptick in trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 249,783 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 127% from the previous session's volume of 110,208 shares.The stock last traded at $14.9780 and had previously closed at $14.91.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on AFYA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Afya from $21.50 to $21.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Afya in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Zacks Research lowered Afya from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered Afya from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Afya from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $18.00.

Afya Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $14.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.33. The company has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.20 and a quick ratio of 2.20.

Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business had revenue of $187.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $189.62 million. Afya had a return on equity of 17.58% and a net margin of 20.55%. On average, analysts predict that Afya Limited will post 1.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Afya

In other news, VP Gomiero Mirella Basolli sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.80, for a total transaction of $148,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 34,530 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $511,044. This represents a 22.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Lelio De Souza Junior sold 41,541 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total transaction of $623,115.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 36,204 shares in the company, valued at $543,060. This represents a 53.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 87,745 shares of company stock valued at $1,314,175 over the last 90 days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Afya

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Swedbank AB boosted its stake in shares of Afya by 170.3% in the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 189,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,916,000 after purchasing an additional 119,200 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Afya by 25.8% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 126,914 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,955,000 after purchasing an additional 26,005 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Afya by 11.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 86,201 shares of the company's stock worth $1,540,000 after purchasing an additional 9,192 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of Afya by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 68,169 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,217,000 after acquiring an additional 3,626 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Afya by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,378 shares of the company's stock valued at $930,000 after purchasing an additional 8,610 shares during the last quarter. 88.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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