Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) saw an uptick in trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 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 research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Afya from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Afya from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Afya from $21.50 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Weiss Ratings lowered Afya from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Afya in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Afya has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $18.00.

Afya Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a current ratio of 2.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a PE ratio of 8.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.35. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $14.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.34.

Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 14th. The company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $187.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $189.62 million. Afya had a return on equity of 17.58% and a net margin of 20.55%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Afya Limited will post 1.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Lélio de Souza, Jr. 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 directly owned 36,204 shares in the company, valued at approximately $543,060. The trade was a 53.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Gomiero Mirella Basolli sold 10,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 34,530 shares in the company, valued at $511,044. This trade represents a 22.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 87,745 shares of company stock worth $1,314,175 in the last 90 days. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AFYA. Engineers Gate Manager LP acquired a new stake in shares of Afya during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $325,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in Afya during the second quarter worth about $67,000. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Afya in the 4th quarter worth approximately $462,000. Finally, Swedbank AB raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 119,200 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.02% of the company’s stock.

About Afya

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.