Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA)’s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $15.49, but opened at $14.96. Afya shares last traded at $15.0010, with a volume of 94,115 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on AFYA. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Afya from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Zacks Research raised shares of Afya from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Afya to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Afya in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $22.00 target price (down from $24.50) on shares of Afya in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.30.

Afya Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a PE ratio of 10.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 2.20 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The business’s fifty day moving average is $14.35 and its 200-day moving average is $14.75.

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

Afya Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be issued a $0.656 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a yield of 437.0%. Afya’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.75%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Afya

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of AFYA. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Afya during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Militia Capital Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Afya during the second quarter worth $71,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Afya in the second quarter worth $117,000. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of Afya by 15.7% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 10,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,000 after purchasing an additional 1,377 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Afya during the 2nd quarter valued at $164,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.02% of the company’s stock.

About Afya

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.