ANIM3: quote, dividends and indicators for Anima Educação

Ânima Educação S.A., traded on B3 under the ticker ANIM3, is a private Brazilian education company with a predominant focus on higher education. The company began to take shape in 2003, when its founding shareholders started building an education group through the acquisition of Minas Gerais Educação S.A., the sponsoring entity of Centro Universitário UNA in Belo Horizonte (MG). Over the following years, the group expanded through acquisitions and restructurings of traditional higher education institutions in different regions of the country, integrating academic, administrative and financial operations. In 2013, the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) granted it “Category A” issuer registration and an initial public offering of shares was carried out, consolidating Ânima Educação’s position in the Brazilian capital markets.

The company’s inorganic growth trajectory includes the incorporation of institutions such as Unimonte in Santos (SP), later integrated into Universidade São Judas Tadeu, and the acquisition of UniBH in Belo Horizonte, which underwent extensive academic and financial restructuring. In 2014, subsidiary Brasil Educação S.A. acquired 100% of the sponsoring entity of Universidade São Judas Tadeu, strengthening Ânima’s presence in the city of São Paulo. In 2015, the company expanded its reach in the South Region by taking over Sociedade Educacional de Santa Catarina (UniSociesc), active in multiple cities in Santa Catarina and, for a period, in Paraná. Other relevant acquisitions involved the incorporation of Alis Educacional in Minas Gerais, whose operation was integrated into the UNA brand, and subsequent moves that resulted in the opening of new units in Minas Gerais, Goiás and Santa Catarina, as well as the acquisition of institutions with strong regional presence in different Brazilian states.

Ânima Educação’s business model is centered on providing private educational services, primarily in higher education, organized into an ecosystem that covers undergraduate programs, lato sensu and stricto sensu graduate programs, short courses, executive education and continuing education programs. The company structures its operations into segments such as Ânima Core, which concentrates most in-person and blended higher education and professional development courses (except medicine); Ensino Digital, focused on distance undergraduate and graduate programs with intensive use of technology platforms; and Inspirali Educação Médica, a vertical that brings together the group’s medical programs and activities related to its medical ecosystem. Revenue comes mainly from student tuition payments, supplemented by executive education services, events and learning solutions for the corporate environment.

On the academic front, Ânima Educação operates a diversified portfolio of higher education brands with national presence, including UNA, Anhembi Morumbi, UniSociesc, UNIFACS, Milton Campos, São Judas, UNP, UniBH, UniRitter, AGES, UniFG-BA, FADERGS, UniCuritiba, FPB, UniSul, FASEH, UniFG-PE and IBMR. These institutions offer on-campus and digital courses in different fields of knowledge, including Law, Engineering, Architecture, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Agronomy and various other technology programs and bachelor’s degrees. The company’s educational ecosystem is organized around the concept of lifelong learning, through the Ecossistema Ânima de Aprendizagem (E2A), which integrates modular curricula, active methodologies, strong interdisciplinarity and the use of digital platforms, seeking to reconcile standardized academic guidelines with faculty autonomy and alignment with regional demands.

Inspirali Educação Médica is a key pillar of Ânima Educação’s strategy, unifying and developing the group’s medical programs. This vertical arose from the accumulated experience in projects to implement and restructure medical programs at dozens of higher education institutions in Brazil, and was strengthened by the company’s participation in calls for proposals under the Mais Médicos Program, which expanded the supply of seats and programs in cities such as Cubatão (SP) and Tucuruí (PA). Inspirali currently brings together thousands of medical students, with a larger presence in the Southeast and South regions, and also offers solutions for the entire medical training cycle, which includes undergraduate programs, residency and continuing medical education. In 2022, a strategic alliance was signed with DNA Capital to bring the medical education ecosystem closer to the healthcare sector, focusing on integrating care practice, innovation and professional training.

In addition to traditional higher education activities, Ânima Educação has developed specialized arms in executive education, corporate education and learning experiences geared toward the business environment. The acquisition and subsequent full control of HSM do Brasil S.A. and HSM Educação S.A. positioned the company in a niche of business management events and solutions, organizing conferences, forums and seminars that bring together top executives and internationally renowned speakers. The company also includes brands such as HSM University, EBRADI (focused on Law), the Le Cordon Bleu São Paulo Culinary Arts Institute in a joint venture with the French group Le Cordon Bleu, SingularityU Brazil and the innovation hub Learning Village, as well as digital joint ventures such as Vivae Digital and Community Creators Academy. These operations expand the company’s presence in continuing education, short courses and corporate training, interconnected with its undergraduate and graduate portfolio.

Geographically, Ânima Educação has established itself as one of the largest private higher education groups in Brazil, with campuses distributed across 12 states: Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Bahia, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco and Pará, in addition to a network of hundreds of educational centers that support digital and blended learning activities. Revenue is generated mostly within Brazil, with no material contribution from foreign revenue. There is no concentration in a single client or economic group, as revenue is spread across hundreds of thousands of students, reducing dependence on any individual customer.

The company’s activities are subject to a broad and detailed regulatory environment, particularly because it operates in private higher education, which is overseen by the federal government. Ânima Educação depends on authorizing and assessment acts from the Ministry of Education (MEC) and associated bodies, such as the National Education Council (CNE), the National Institute for Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (INEP) and the National Commission for the Evaluation of Higher Education (CONAES), for institutional accreditation and reaccreditation, program authorization and recognition, periodic renewal of assessments and participation in specific public programs. In basic education, where applicable, regulation falls under state and municipal education councils, in line with Brazil’s federative structure. Ongoing interaction with this regulatory framework is a central part of the group’s operations, as it must maintain academic quality standards, a qualified faculty, adequate infrastructure and compliance with national education guidelines to sustain its authorizations and expand its presence in the sector.

From a governance and environmental-social practices perspective, Ânima Educação operates as a publicly traded company, with common shares listed on B3, which entails the adoption of formal management structures, periodic disclosure of information and compliance with capital market regulations. The group also maintains Instituto Ânima and initiatives aimed at the production, promotion and dissemination of cultural and educational activities, in addition to taking part in consulting projects, university extension efforts and interaction with the public and private sectors in education and innovation. Although its institutional discourse highlights principles such as social transformation through education, the use of technology in the teaching process and a focus on student employability, the company remains essentially positioned as a private higher education group with a strategy of sector consolidation, diversification of regional brands and expansion of its student base in on-campus, digital and continuing education programs, with ANIM3 as the main vehicle for retail investors to access its corporate structure on B3.