Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) Shares Pass Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Key Points

• Acadia Healthcare passed above its 200-day moving average, trading as high as $26.65 (200-day MA $19.01) and last at $26.61 on volume of about 2.04 million shares.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed — the consensus rating is "Hold" with an average price target of $21.15 (7 Buy, 7 Hold, 2 Sell) amid several recent target revisions.
• Recent quarter beat estimates: Acadia reported $0.07 EPS vs $0.03 expected and $821.5M revenue vs $800.1M, set FY2026 guidance of $1.30–$1.55 EPS, but continues to show a negative net margin (~33%) while institutions (notably Goldman) have materially increased stakes.

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHC - Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $19.01 and traded as high as $26.65. Acadia Healthcare shares last traded at $26.61, with a volume of 2,039,257 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACHC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim decreased their target price on Acadia Healthcare from $27.00 to $22.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Barclays lifted their target price on Acadia Healthcare from $14.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Leerink Partners lifted their target price on Acadia Healthcare from $14.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Acadia Healthcare from $22.00 to $17.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on Acadia Healthcare from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $21.15.

Acadia Healthcare Trading Up 0.2%

The firm has a market cap of $2.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.18, a PEG ratio of 8.97 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $21.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27.

Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.03 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $821.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $800.10 million. Acadia Healthcare had a positive return on equity of 6.53% and a negative net margin of 33.29%.Acadia Healthcare's revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.64 earnings per share. Acadia Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.300-1.550 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.250-0.300 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Acadia Healthcare

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ACHC. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Acadia Healthcare by 417.8% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,728,613 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,099,000 after purchasing an additional 3,815,471 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Acadia Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at $47,960,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Acadia Healthcare by 24.9% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 11,774,308 shares of the company's stock valued at $167,077,000 after purchasing an additional 2,350,760 shares during the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP boosted its position in Acadia Healthcare by 71.0% during the fourth quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 3,312,043 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,998,000 after purchasing an additional 1,375,647 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deerfield Management Company L.P. acquired a new stake in Acadia Healthcare during the third quarter valued at $29,440,000.

Acadia Healthcare Company Profile

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc NASDAQ: ACHC is a publicly traded provider of behavioral healthcare services headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee. Founded in 2005, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to establish itself as a leading specialist in mental health and addiction treatment across the United States.

Acadia operates a diversified network of inpatient psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment centers, outpatient clinics and intensive outpatient programs.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.