Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 569,304 shares, a growth of 16.9% from the February 12th total of 486,925 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 71,756 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.9 days. Currently, 0.6% of the company’s shares are sold short. Currently, 0.6% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 71,756 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.9 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Afya

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Afya during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Militia Capital Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Afya in the second quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Afya during the second quarter worth $117,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of Afya by 15.7% during the third 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. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Afya during the second quarter worth $164,000. 88.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AFYA shares. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.00 price target (down from $18.00) on shares of Afya in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Zacks Research raised Afya from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Afya from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $22.00 target price (down from $24.50) on shares of Afya in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Bank of America lowered Afya from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $22.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.30.

Afya Price Performance

AFYA opened at $14.30 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Afya has a 12 month low of $13.00 and a 12 month high of $19.90. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $14.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $14.76. The stock has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.79, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.52.

Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.05. Afya had a return on equity of 18.77% and a net margin of 20.31%.The firm had revenue of $147.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.74 million. On average, research analysts expect that Afya will post 1.52 EPS for the current year.

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.