Principal Financial Group Inc. Raises Holdings in Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. $ACHC

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group increased its stake in Acadia Healthcare by 27.4% in the first quarter, owning 558,486 shares worth about $13.1 million at the end of the period.
• Several other institutional investors also raised their holdings, including Teachers Retirement System of Kentucky, Fifth Third Bancorp, ARGA Investment Management, and Strs Ohio, signaling broader interest in the stock.
• Acadia Healthcare reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings of $0.37 per share on revenue of $828.8 million, while analysts have recently turned more bullish with multiple price-target increases and a consensus rating of Hold.

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHC - Free Report) by 27.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 558,486 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 120,197 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.61% of Acadia Healthcare worth $13,063,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its position in Acadia Healthcare by 5.1% during the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 75,095 shares of the company's stock worth $1,757,000 after acquiring an additional 3,642 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Acadia Healthcare by 11,144.0% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 25,299 shares of the company's stock worth $592,000 after purchasing an additional 25,074 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Acadia Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth approximately $345,000. ARGA Investment Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Acadia Healthcare by 29.7% during the 1st quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 57,098 shares of the company's stock worth $1,336,000 after purchasing an additional 13,067 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio grew its position in shares of Acadia Healthcare by 15,846.7% in the first quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 347,637 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,131,000 after purchasing an additional 345,457 shares in the last quarter.

Acadia Healthcare Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of ACHC opened at $34.51 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $27.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.18. Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $11.43 and a 12-month high of $35.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The firm has a market cap of $3.17 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.34 and a beta of 0.64.

Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.09. Acadia Healthcare had a negative net margin of 32.84% and a positive return on equity of 7.09%. The company had revenue of $828.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $823.51 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.40 earnings per share. Acadia Healthcare's revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Acadia Healthcare has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.300-0.400 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ACHC. TD Cowen upped their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Acadia Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $24.50 to $30.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $30.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $20.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Acadia Healthcare currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $28.69.

About Acadia Healthcare

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.

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