Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - What's Next?

Key Points

• Afya’s trading volume surged 198% to 361,941 shares, while the stock traded near $13.54 versus its prior close of $13.68.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: the stock has an average “Reduce” rating and an $18 consensus price target, despite one recent upgrade to “Buy.”
• Afya beat quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $0.43 versus the $0.40 consensus, but revenue of $187.8 million fell slightly short of forecasts; insiders have sold 87,745 shares worth about $1.31 million over the past three months.

Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday . 361,941 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 198% from the previous session's volume of 121,295 shares.The stock last traded at $13.5380 and had previously closed at $13.68.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AFYA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Afya in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Afya from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Afya from $21.50 to $21.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Afya from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Afya from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $18.00.

Afya Price Performance

The stock's 50 day moving average is $14.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.20 and a quick ratio of 2.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a PE ratio of 8.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.35.

Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 14th. The company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.03. Afya had a net margin of 20.55% and a return on equity of 17.58%. The company had revenue of $187.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $189.62 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Afya Limited will post 1.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Gomiero Mirella Basolli sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.80, for a total transaction of $148,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 34,530 shares in the company, valued at $511,044. The trade was a 22.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Lélio de Souza, Jr. sold 36,204 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $543,060.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 87,745 shares of company stock worth $1,314,175 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Afya

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Swedbank AB raised its holdings in Afya by 170.3% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 189,200 shares of the company's stock worth $2,916,000 after purchasing an additional 119,200 shares in the last quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. acquired a new position in Afya during the 4th quarter worth approximately $462,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP acquired a new position in Afya during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $325,000. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of Afya by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 30,697 shares of the company's stock worth $473,000 after buying an additional 5,599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Afya during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $67,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.02% of the company's stock.

Afya Company Profile

Afya Limited is a Brazilian medical education and technology company that operates an integrated platform for physicians and medical students. The company provides education and professional development throughout the medical career cycle, from undergraduate training and residency preparation to continuing medical education and specialization programs.

Afya's offerings include medical schools, preparatory courses, postgraduate and continuing education programs, digital learning tools, and clinical practice technologies.

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