Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) Hits New 1-Year Low on Analyst Downgrade

Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) shares hit a new 52-week low on Friday after UBS Group downgraded the stock from a buy rating to a neutral rating. UBS Group now has a $16.00 price target on the stock. Afya traded as low as $13.41 and last traded at $13.49, with a volume of 26084 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $14.39.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on AFYA. Zacks Research lowered shares of Afya from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Afya from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Afya in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Afya to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $22.00 price objective (down from $24.50) on shares of Afya in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Afya has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.38.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Afya

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFYA. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Afya by 167.3% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 45,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $809,000 after buying an additional 28,226 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd lifted its position in Afya by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 151,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,700,000 after acquiring an additional 2,730 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Afya during the 2nd quarter valued at about $264,000. Carrera Capital Advisors bought a new stake in Afya during the second quarter worth about $1,750,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC grew its holdings in Afya by 31.5% in the second quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 51,340 shares of the company’s stock worth $917,000 after purchasing an additional 12,286 shares during the period. 88.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Afya Stock Down 3.2%

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.02. The firm has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.02, a P/E/G ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

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.