Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,240,000 shares, an increase of 8.8% from the December 15th total of 1,140,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 119,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 10.4 days. Currently, 9.2% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Afya

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Afya by 41.8% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 336,985 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,948,000 after buying an additional 99,416 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Afya by 45.0% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 291,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,139,000 after buying an additional 90,383 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Afya by 19.7% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 266,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,704,000 after buying an additional 43,800 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Afya by 118.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 73,098 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,248,000 after buying an additional 39,592 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Afya in the 3rd quarter valued at about $842,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.02% of the company’s stock.

Afya Stock Performance

Afya stock opened at $15.74 on Friday. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $15.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.74. Afya has a fifty-two week low of $14.52 and a fifty-two week high of $22.48.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Afya from $25.00 to $20.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Afya in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a “sell” rating and a $16.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $19.60.

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.