Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) Shares Gap Down – Here’s Why

Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $16.97, but opened at $16.08. Afya shares last traded at $15.91, with a volume of 15,589 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Afya Stock Down 6.2 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.82. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $16.35 and its 200 day moving average is $16.47.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Afya

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its holdings in Afya by 73.8% during the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 13,268 shares of the company’s stock valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 5,636 shares during the period. PDT Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Afya in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $481,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in shares of Afya during the third quarter valued at approximately $822,000. Centiva Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Afya during the third quarter valued at approximately $213,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Afya during the third quarter valued at approximately $842,000. 88.02% of the stock is owned by 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.