Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) Raised to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

AFYA has been the subject of several other research reports. Bank of America lowered shares of Afya from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $22.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Afya in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Afya from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.00 price target (down from $18.00) on shares of Afya in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Afya to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.30.

Afya Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of AFYA opened at $13.76 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 2.20 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.52. Afya has a 1 year low of $13.00 and a 1 year high of $19.90. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.76.

Afya (NASDAQ:AFYA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.05. Afya had a net margin of 20.31% and a return on equity of 18.77%. The firm had revenue of $147.08 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.74 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that Afya will post 1.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Afya

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Doma Perpetual Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Afya by 50.6% in the 3rd quarter. Doma Perpetual Capital Management LLC now owns 891,639 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,910,000 after acquiring an additional 299,419 shares during the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda bought a new position in Afya during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,895,000. Swedbank AB raised its position in Afya by 170.3% in the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 189,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,916,000 after purchasing an additional 119,200 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Afya in the 2nd quarter worth about $731,000. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd bought a new stake in Afya in the third quarter worth about $610,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.02% of the company’s stock.

Key Afya News

Here are the key news stories impacting Afya this week:

• Positive Sentiment: EPS beat — Afya reported $0.41 EPS for 4Q25, topping consensus estimates and last year’s EPS, signaling stronger profitability per share which supports valuation metrics. Afya (AFYA) Tops Q4 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Large cash return — the Board approved a R$307.4 million dividend (~40% of consolidated net income), which is supportive for income-focused shareholders and may attract yield-seeking demand. Afya Limited Announces Dividend Distribution of R$307.4 Million
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary/transcript available — the full Q4 2025 earnings call transcript provides additional color on growth drivers, margins and capital allocation; investors should review management’s remarks on enrollment trends and clinic operations. Afya Limited (AFYA) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss — Afya reported 4Q revenue of BRL147.08 million (reported in USD-equivalent headlines), materially below analyst expectations, raising questions about enrollment or service revenue pacing that could pressure near-term growth. Afya Limited Announces Fourth Quarter and Twelve Months 2025 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 revenue guidance slightly below consensus — the company updated FY‑2026 revenue guidance to a range (~R$731.7M–R$759.5M in the entry) that sits under the street’s ~$764M consensus, introducing downside risk to growth expectations; EPS guidance detail was unclear in the release. Afya Limited Announces Fourth Quarter and Twelve Months 2025 Financial Results

About Afya

Afya Ltd. operates as a leading provider of medical education and training services in Brazil. The company offers a comprehensive suite of educational programs that span undergraduate medical degrees, residency exam preparation, continuing medical education (CME) and digital learning platforms. Through a network of partner institutions and its own campus operations, Afya supports students at every stage of the medical training continuum, from enrollment in medical schools to ongoing professional development for practicing physicians.

At the core of Afya’s offerings is its undergraduate medical program, delivered through a combination of in-person courses at affiliated campuses and fully digital curricula.