Zacks Research Upgrades Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) to Strong-Buy

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Acadia Healthcare from “hold” to “strong-buy.” Overall, analysts rate the stock “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $32.54.
• Acadia reported quarterly EPS of $0.60, topping the $0.46 consensus estimate, while revenue of $895.31 million exceeded forecasts and rose 5.1% year over year.
• Several firms raised their price targets, including Guggenheim and Royal Bank of Canada, both to $41; other analyst views range from sell to strong buy.

Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Monday, Zacks reports.

ACHC has been the subject of several other reports. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $30.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, November 6th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Acadia Healthcare from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 6th. Leerink Partners raised their price target on Acadia Healthcare from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Acadia Healthcare from $31.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $32.54.

Acadia Healthcare Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ ACHC opened at $38.64 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.59 billion, a PE ratio of -3.10, a P/E/G ratio of 11.08 and a beta of 0.64. Acadia Healthcare has a one year low of $11.43 and a one year high of $39.70. The business's fifty day moving average price is $29.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.38.

Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $895.31 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $877.76 million. Acadia Healthcare had a positive return on equity of 6.53% and a negative net margin of 33.07%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.72 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Acadia Healthcare will post 1.74 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Acadia Healthcare

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ACHC. Clough Capital Partners L P bought a new position in Acadia Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth about $5,359,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of Acadia Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at about $49,746,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Acadia Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at about $21,606,000. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Acadia Healthcare during the second quarter worth about $4,502,000. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Acadia Healthcare by 7,896.1% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 278,265 shares of the company's stock worth $6,508,000 after purchasing an additional 274,785 shares in the last quarter.

Acadia Healthcare Company Profile

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. is a U.S. provider of behavioral health services. The company operates facilities that treat mental health conditions and substance use disorders, serving patients through inpatient, residential and outpatient care. Its services include psychiatric hospitals, specialty treatment centers, residential programs and outpatient clinics. Care may include assessment, therapy, medication management and treatment for addiction, depending on the facility and program. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, Acadia serves communities across the United States.

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