Afya Limited Announces First-Quarter 2023 Financial Results

High and Predictable Growth

Full Year 2023 Guidance Reaffirmed

Afya Limited (Nasdaq: AFYA) (“Afya” or the “Company”), the leading medical education group and digital health services provider in Brazil, reported today financial and operating results for the three-month period ended March 31, 2023 (first quarter 2023). Financial results are expressed in Brazilian Reais and are presented in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

First Quarter 2023 Highlights

• 1Q23 Adjusted Net Revenue increased 25.0% YoY to R$709.4 million. Adjusted Net Revenue excluding acquisitions grew 13.5%, reaching R$644.3 million.
• 1Q23 Adjusted EBITDA increased 21.9% YoY reaching R$330.2 million, with an Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 46.5%. Adjusted EBITDA excluding acquisitions grew 12.3%, reaching R$304.2 million, with an Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 47.2%.
• Cash conversion of 111.9%, with a solid cash position of R$ 722.7 million.
• ~295 thousand monthly active physicians and medical students using Afya’s Digital Services.

Message from Management

For us in Afya, these results indicate another great start for the year ahead. We are proud to present, once again, strong results, reaffirming the success and resilience of Afya, along with high and predictable growth, and a solid cash generation.

This quarter was marked by significant increases in net revenue within our three segments and we are delighted to see that the most significant growth came from our Continue Education segment with a robust intake process, six new campuses, and course maturation.

Our second most significant growth came from our core business, as we saw higher tickets in Medicine courses, maturation of medical seats, the beginning of 4 Mais Médicos campuses, consolidation of UNIT Alagoas and FITS Jaboatão dos Guararapes acquisition, and the consolidation of 92 new medical seats, 28 in the UniSL Ji-Paraná campus, located in Rondônia, and 64 in Faculdade Santo Agostinho, in the city of Itabuna, situated in the state of Bahia.

And, once again, Afya reported great results on the Digital Health Services revenue, which ended the quarter with an increase of 20% when compared to last year. This result reinforces the opportunity ahead in Digital Services, and it is explained by the ramp-up in B2B engagements, with new contracts with the pharmaceutical industry companies, and the continuous ramp-up in B2P contracts, as we will discuss further on.

High and predictable growth, strong guidance for the year, and segments ramp-up: this proves how we are evolving and empowering our vision to transform health together with those who have medicine as a vocation. We are proud of our business and also excited for what comes next during this year.

1. Key Events in the Quarter:

• Afya announced on January 2^nd, 2023, the closing of its acquisition of 100% of the total share capital of Sociedade Educacional e Cultural Sergipe DelRey Ltda. (“DelRey”), that encompasses the operations of Centro Universitário Tiradentes Alagoas (“UNIT Alagoas”) and Faculdade Tiradentes Jaboatão dos Guararapes (“FITS Jaboatão dos Guararapes”), on the terms previously disclosed.
• Afya announced on January 31^st, 2023, that it is one of 484 companies across 45 countries and regions to join the 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), a modified market capitalization-weighted index that aims to track the performance of public companies committed to transparency in gender-data reporting. This reference index measures gender equality across five pillars: leadership & talent pipeline, equal pay & gender pay parity, inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies, and external brand. For the second time in a row, Afya was included on the index for scoring above a global threshold established by Bloomberg to reflect disclosure and the achievement or adoption of best-in-class statistics and policies, being 1 of 16 Brazilian companies included in the index this year.

• Fourth share repurchase program, on March 2023 - the Board of Directors approved a new share repurchase program. Under this share repurchase program, Afya may repurchase up to 2,000,000 of its outstanding Class A common shares which represents approximately 5.8% of its free float in accordance with the conditions established by the Board of Directors on March 24, 2023. Accordingly, in connection with repurchases under the new program, Afya also announced that entered into a written trading plan with BofA Securities, Inc., as the independent broker-dealer, which is intended to comply with the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 and Rule 10b-18 each under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

2. 2023 Guidance

The Company is reaffirming its previously issued guidance for 2023 which considers the successfully concluded acceptances of new students, ensuring 100% occupancy in all of its medical schools.

Considering the above factors, the guidance for 2023 is defined in the following table:

3. 1Q23 Overview

Operational Review

Afya is the only Company offering educational and technological solutions to support physicians across every stage of their medical career, from undergraduate students in their medical school years through medical residency preparatory courses, medical specialization programs, and continuing medical education. The Company also offers solutions to empower physicians in their daily routine, including supporting clinic decisions through mobile app subscription, delivering practice management tools through a Software as a Service (SaaS) model, and assisting physicians in their relationship with their patients.

The Company reports results for three distinct business units - the first, Undergrad – medical schools, other healthcare programs, and ex-health degrees. Revenue is generated from the monthly tuition fees the Company charges students enrolled in the undergraduate programs - the second, Continuing Education – specialization programs and graduate courses for physicians. Revenue is also generated from the monthly tuition fees the Company charges students enrolled in the specialization and graduate courses. The third is Digital Services – digital services offered by the Company at every stage of the medical career. This business unit is divided into Business to Physician (which encompasses Content & Technology for Medical Education, Clinical Decision Software, Practice Management Tools & Electronic Medical Records, Physician-Patient Relationship, Telemedicine, and Digital Prescription) and Business to Business (which provides access and demand for the healthcare players). Revenue is generated from printed books and e-books and is recognized at the point in time when control is transferred to the customer, and subscription fees, which are recognized as the services, are transferred over time.

Key Revenue Drivers – Undergraduate Courses

Key Revenue Drivers – Continuing Education and Digital Services

Key Operational Drivers – Digital Services

Monthly Active Users (MaU) represents the number of unique individuals that consumed Digital Services content in each one of our products in the last 30 days of a specific period. Total monthly active users reached almost 295 thousand, 13.6% higher than the same period of last year.

Monthly Unique Active Users (MuaU) represents the number of unique individuals, without overlap of users among products, in the last 30 days of a specific period.

Seasonality

Undergrad’s tuition revenues are related to the intake process and monthly tuition fees charged to students over the period; thus does not have significant fluctuations during the semester. Continuing Education revenues are related to monthly intakes and tuition fees and do not have a considerable concentration in any period. Digital Services is comprised mainly of Medcel, Pebmed, and iClinic revenues. While Pebmed and iClinic do not have significant fluctuation regarding seasonality, Medcel’s revenue is concentrated in the first and last quarter of the year due to the enrollments of Medcel’s clients period. In addition, the majority of Medcel’s revenues are derived from printed books and e-books, which are recognized at the point in time when control is transferred to the customer. Consequently, the Digital Services segment generally has higher revenues and results of operations in the first and last quarters of the year than in the second and third quarters.

Revenue

Adjusted Net Revenue for the first quarter of 2023 was R$709.4 million, an increase of 25.0% over the same period of the prior year, mainly due to higher tickets in Medicine courses in 8.3%, maturation of medical seats, the beginning of 4 Mais Médicos campuses, consolidation of UNIT Alagoas and FITS Jaboatão dos Guararapes acquisition, the Continuing Education high performance and Digital Services execution.

The Digital Services segment increased 19.6% year over year, a combination of (a) B2B engagements, and (b) expansion of the active payers in the B2P, mainly in Whitebook, iClinic, and Shosp, partially offset by the lower performance of Medcel, due to a higher competition scenario in the Residency Preparatory market; and (c) consolidation of Alem da Medicina, Glic, and Cardiopapers.

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA for the three-month period ended March 31, 2023, increased 21.9% to R$330.2 million, up from R$270.8 million in the same period of the prior year, and the Adjusted EBITDA Margin decreased 120 basis points to 46.5%. The Adjusted EBITDA Margin reduction is mainly due to the following: (a) Digital segment, primarily due to Medcel’s performance; and (b) consolidation of 4 new Mais Médicos campuses (operation started on 3Q22) and UNIT Alagoas and FITS Jaboatão dos Guararapes which are performing better than expected but still present lower margins when compared to the integrated companies.

Adjusted Net Income

Net Income for the first quarter of 2023 was R$117.8 million, a decrease of 12.7% over the same period of the prior year. Adjusted Net Income for the first quarter of 2023 was R$166.4 million, in line with the same period from the previous year, mainly due to better operational performance, which was offset by higher financial expenses, mainly related to the increase in leverage due to UNIT Alagoas and FITS Jaboatao business combination and higher interest rates, when compared to the same period of the prior year.

Cash and Debt Position

On March 31, 2023, Cash and Cash Equivalents were R$722.7 million, a decrease of 33.9% over December 31, 2022, due to UNIT Alagoas and FITS Jaboatão dos Guararapes business combination.

For the three-month period ended March 31, 2023, Afya reported Adjusted Cash Flow from Operations of R$349.4 million, up from R$293.6 million in the same period of the previous year, an increase of 19.0% YoY, boosted by the solid operational results. Operating Cash Conversion Ratio was 111.9% for the three-month period that ended on March 31, 2023.

On March 31, 2023, Net Debt, excluding the effect of IFRS 16, totaled R$2,029 million. When compared to December 31, 2022 Net Debt added to R$825 million related to UNIT Alagoas and FITS Jaboatão dos Guararapes business combination closed on January 2, 2023, the Net Debt reduced R$ 177 million due to the strong cash flow generation in the quarter.

The following table shows more information regarding the cost of debt of 1Q23, considering loans and financing, capital market, and accounts payable to selling shareholders. Afya’s capital structure remains solid with a conservative leveraging position and a low cost of debt.

CAPEX

Capital expenditures consist of the purchase of property and equipment and intangible assets, including expenditures mainly related to the expansion and maintenance of our campuses and headquarters, leasehold improvements, and the development of new solutions in the digital segment, among others.

For the three-months period ending March 31, 2023, CAPEX was R$46.4 million, representing 6.5% of Afya’s Net Revenue.

ESG Metrics

ESG commitment is essential to Afya’s strategy and permeates the Company’s core values. Afya has been advancing year after year on its core pillars, and since 2021, ESG metrics have been disclosed in the Company’s quarterly financial results.

On January 2023, Afya announced it is one of 484 companies across 45 countries and regions to join the 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), a modified market capitalization-weighted index that aims to track the performance of public companies committed to transparency in gender-data reporting. This reference index measures gender equality across five pillars: leadership & talent pipeline, equal pay & gender pay parity, inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies, and external brand. In addition, for the second time in a row, Afya was included on the index for scoring above a global threshold established by Bloomberg to reflect disclosure and the achievement or adoption of best-in-class statistics and policies, being 1 of 16 Brazilian companies included in the index this year.

Furthermore, the 2021 Sustainability Report can be found at: https://ir.afya.com.br/ >> Corporate Governance >> Sustainability.

4. Conference Call and Webcast Information

5. About Afya Limited (Nasdaq: AFYA)

Afya is a leading medical education group in Brazil based on the number of medical school seats, delivering an end-to-end physician-centric ecosystem that serves and empowers students and physicians to transform their ambitions into rewarding lifelong experiences from the moment they join us as medical students through their medical residency preparation, graduation program, continuing medical education activities and offering digital products to help doctors enhance their healthcare services through their whole career. For more information, please visit www.afya.com.br.

6. Forward – Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact could be deemed forward looking, and include risks and uncertainties related to statements about our competition; our ability to attract, upsell and retain students; our ability to increase tuition prices and prep course fees; our ability to anticipate and meet the evolving needs of students and professors; our ability to source and successfully integrate acquisitions; general market, political, economic, and business conditions; and our financial targets such as revenue, share count and IFRS and non-IFRS financial measures including gross margin, operating margin, net income (loss) per diluted share, and free cash flow. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain, such as statements about the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business operations, financial results and financial position and the Brazilian economy.

The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. The achievement or success of the matters covered by such forward-looking statements involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If any such risks or uncertainties materialize or if any of the assumptions prove incorrect, our results could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements we make. Readers should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Forward-looking statements represent management’s beliefs and assumptions only as of the date such statements are made. Further information on these and other factors that could affect the Company’s financial results are included in the filings made with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from time to time, including the section titled “Risk Factors” in the most recent Rule 434(b) prospectus. These documents are available on the SEC Filings section of the investor relations section of our website at: https://ir.afya.com.br/.

7. Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement the Company's consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board—IASB, Afya uses Adjusted EBITDA and Operating Cash Conversion Ratio information, which are non-GAAP financial measures, for the convenience of investors. A non-GAAP financial measure is generally defined as one that intends to measure financial performance but excludes or includes amounts that would not be equally adjusted in the most comparable GAAP measure.

Afya calculates Adjusted EBITDA as net income plus/minus net financial result plus income taxes expense plus depreciation and amortization plus interest received on late payments of monthly tuition fees, plus share-based compensation plus/minus share of income of associate plus/minus non-recurring expenses. The calculation of Adjusted Net Income is net income plus amortization of customer relationships and trademark, plus share-based compensation. We calculate Operating Cash Conversion Ratio as the cash flow from operations, adjusted with income taxes paid divided by Adjusted EBITDA plus/minus non-recurring expenses.

Management presents Adjusted EBITDA, because it believes these measures provide investors with a supplemental measure of financial performance of the core operations that facilitates period-to-period comparisons on a consistent basis. Afya also presents Operating Cash Conversion Ratio because it believes this measure provides investors with a measure of how efficiently the Company converts EBITDA into cash. The non-GAAP financial measures described in this prospectus are not a substitute for the IFRS measures of earnings. Additionally, calculations of Adjusted EBITDA and Operating Cash Conversion Ratio may be different from the calculations used by other companies, including competitors in the education services industry, and therefore, Afya’s measures may not be comparable to those of other companies.

8. Investor Relations Contact

E-mail: ir@afya.com.br

9. Financial Tables

Reconciliation between Net Income and Adjusted EBITDA

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