Santos Welder Ferreira Sells 3,325 Shares of Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: Santos Welder Ferreira sold 3,325 shares on April 17 at an average price of $15.90 for $52,867.50, reducing his holding by 8.68% to 35,000 shares (worth about $556,500).
• Market and results snapshot: Afya shares traded up 1.1% to $16.04 with a $1.5B market cap and P/E of 10.98; last quarter EPS beat at $0.41 versus $0.36 but revenue missed ($147.08M vs. $174.74M), and analysts have an average target of $17.30 with a consensus rating of "Hold."
• Dividend announced: The company paid an annual dividend of $0.656 per share on April 6 (ex-dividend March 25) and reports a dividend payout ratio of 45.21%.

Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA - Get Free Report) insider Santos Welder Ferreira sold 3,325 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.90, for a total transaction of $52,867.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 35,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $556,500. This trade represents a 8.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Afya Stock Up 1.1%

NASDAQ:AFYA traded up $0.18 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $16.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 21,796 shares, compared to its average volume of 114,044. The company has a market capitalization of $1.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.48. Afya Limited has a 12 month low of $13.00 and a 12 month high of $19.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a current ratio of 2.20. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $14.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.67.

Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $147.08 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.74 million. Afya had a return on equity of 18.77% and a net margin of 20.31%. Equities analysts predict that Afya Limited will post 1.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Afya Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were given a dividend of $0.656 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a dividend yield of 433.0%. Afya's dividend payout ratio is presently 45.21%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Afya

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Afya by 15.7% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 10,170 shares of the company's stock worth $159,000 after acquiring an additional 1,377 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Afya during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Afya by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 68,169 shares of the company's stock worth $1,217,000 after acquiring an additional 3,626 shares in the last quarter. Militia Capital Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Afya during the 2nd quarter worth about $71,000. Finally, Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd boosted 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 acquiring an additional 5,599 shares in the last quarter. 88.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Afya from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $22.00 target price (down from $24.50) on shares of Afya in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Afya in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Bank of America lowered shares of Afya from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $22.00 to $17.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Afya from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Afya currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $17.30.

Afya Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.