Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $16.22, but opened at $17.90. Afya shares last traded at $18.39, with a volume of 50,822 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AFYA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Afya from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $19.00 to $17.00 in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Afya in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $16.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $15.00 target price (down previously from $18.00) on shares of Afya in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Afya from $25.00 to $20.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Afya presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $17.60.

Afya Stock Up 13.3 %

The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $16.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market capitalization of $1.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.82.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Afya in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Afya by 296.9% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,550 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in Afya by 1,099.7% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,031 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 3,695 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Afya during the third quarter worth about $75,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Afya by 2,115.9% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,670 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 6,369 shares during the last quarter. 88.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Afya Company Profile

Afya Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates as a medical education group in Brazil. The company operates through three segments: Undergrad, Continuing Education, and Digital Services. It offers educational products and services, including medical schools, medical residency preparatory courses, graduate courses, and other programs to lifelong medical learners enrolled across its distribution network, as well as to third-party medical schools.