Teacher Retirement System of Texas Buys Shares of 20,725 Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in shares of Afya Limited (NASDAQ:AFYA) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 20,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $329,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Afya by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $281,000 after acquiring an additional 929 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Afya by 296.9% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,550 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Afya during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of Afya by 41.9% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 9,677 shares of the company’s stock worth $154,000 after purchasing an additional 2,856 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Afya in the third quarter valued at approximately $75,000. 88.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Afya Trading Up 0.8 %

NASDAQ AFYA opened at $18.07 on Wednesday. Afya Limited has a 52 week low of $14.52 and a 52 week high of $20.06. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $17.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.69 billion, a PE ratio of 14.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Afya Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a — dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 26th will be issued a $0.232 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 26th. Afya’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Afya 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.