Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) VP Sells $76,000.00 in Stock

Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) VP De Sousa Anibal Jose Grifo sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.20, for a total value of $76,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 45,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $684,000. The trade was a 10.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Afya Stock Performance

Shares of Afya stock opened at $15.07 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 2.20, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $14.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.68. Afya Limited has a 12 month low of $13.00 and a 12 month high of $19.90.

Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.74 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Afya Limited will post 1.52 EPS for the current year.

Afya Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AFYA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Afya in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $22.00 price target (down from $24.50) on shares of Afya in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.00 price target (down from $18.00) on shares of Afya in a report on Friday, January 16th. Zacks Research upgraded Afya from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Afya to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. 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, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.30.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Afya

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new position in Afya during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Militia Capital Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Afya in the second quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Afya in the second quarter valued at approximately $117,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted 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 valued at $159,000 after buying an additional 1,377 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of Afya during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $164,000. 88.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Afya News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Afya this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell materially in March — short interest declined about 14.1% to 541,994 shares as of March 31, leaving only ~0.6% of float shorted and a days-to-cover of ~4.4. Lower short interest reduces short pressure and can support upside or limit downside volatility.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Afya from “hold” to “strong-buy”, giving institutional and retail investors a fresh buy-side signal that can attract flows. Zacks upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: The company paid an annual dividend on April 6 ($0.656 per share). The payout returns cash to shareholders and can support investor demand, particularly for income-oriented holders. MarketBeat dividend/coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional activity: several funds established or increased positions in Q4 (State Street, XTX Topco, Mangrove Partners, etc.). High institutional ownership (~88%) can stabilize stock but also concentrate flows. MarketBeat institutional holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider sale by VP Lelio De Souza Junior — sold 26,753 shares (~$400k) on April 7, reducing his stake by ~62%. Large insider reductions can be perceived negatively by investors and may weigh on near-term sentiment. SEC filing – De Souza Jr sale
• Negative Sentiment: Smaller insider sale by VP De Sousa Anibal Jose Grifo — sold 5,000 shares (~$76k) on April 7 (10% reduction in his position). While smaller than the other sale, it adds to insider-decrease headlines. InsiderTrades – De Sousa sale

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.