Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) Short Interest Update

Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 978,300 shares, a growth of 13.1% from the September 30th total of 865,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 140,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 7.0 days. Approximately 11.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Afya Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AFYA traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $16.78. The company had a trading volume of 71,113 shares, compared to its average volume of 132,620. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.92. Afya has a twelve month low of $14.64 and a twelve month high of $22.48. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $155.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.83 million. Afya had a net margin of 18.12% and a return on equity of 18.82%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Afya will post 1.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, UBS Group started coverage on Afya in a report on Friday, August 30th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $19.50 price target for the company.

Institutional Trading of Afya

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Afya by 26.9% during the 2nd quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 14,784 shares of the company's stock worth $261,000 after buying an additional 3,133 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC raised its position in Afya by 136.9% during the second quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 35,254 shares of the company's stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 20,370 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale purchased a new stake in shares of Afya in the third quarter valued at about $417,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of Afya by 19.7% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 266,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,704,000 after purchasing an additional 43,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Afya by 45.0% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 291,164 shares of the company's stock worth $5,139,000 after purchasing an additional 90,383 shares in 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.