Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) Shares Gap Up – Here’s What Happened

Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) shares 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 traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on AFYA. Morgan Stanley lowered Afya from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $19.00 to $17.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Afya from $25.00 to $20.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Afya in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $16.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup restated a “sell” rating and issued a $15.00 target price (down from $18.00) on shares of Afya in a report on Friday, January 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Afya presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $17.60.

Afya Trading Up 11.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 1.60. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.44. The company has a market capitalization of $1.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.82.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Afya during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Afya by 296.9% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,550 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Afya by 1,099.7% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,031 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 3,695 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Afya during the third quarter valued at approximately $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 purchasing an additional 6,369 shares during the period. 88.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Afya

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.