Short Interest in Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHC) Drops By 5.6%

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,520,000 shares, a drop of 5.6% from the March 31st total of 3,730,000 shares. Approximately 3.9% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 566,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.2 days.

Acadia Healthcare Stock Performance

ACHC stock traded down $0.67 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $73.94. The company had a trading volume of 694,332 shares, compared to its average volume of 569,456. Acadia Healthcare has a 12 month low of $66.49 and a 12 month high of $87.77. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $77.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.73. The firm has a market cap of $6.83 billion, a PE ratio of -295.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.05. Acadia Healthcare had a negative net margin of 0.74% and a positive return on equity of 11.21%. The company had revenue of $742.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $727.60 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.70 EPS. Acadia Healthcare's revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Acadia Healthcare will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Wade D. Miquelon sold 2,203 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.39, for a total value of $188,114.17. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 46,074 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,934,258.86. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ACHC. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in Acadia Healthcare during the third quarter worth about $549,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in shares of Acadia Healthcare by 16.3% in the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 14,274 shares of the company's stock worth $1,004,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in shares of Acadia Healthcare by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 76,048 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,347,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in Acadia Healthcare by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,258,459 shares of the company's stock worth $88,482,000 after purchasing an additional 13,765 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in Acadia Healthcare by 20.1% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 18,920 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,330,000 after acquiring an additional 3,167 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. TheStreet raised shares of Acadia Healthcare from a "c" rating to a "b-" rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $90.00 price target on shares of Acadia Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Acadia Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $100.00 target price on the stock. Stephens upgraded Acadia Healthcare from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $92.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Acadia Healthcare from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $92.00.

Acadia Healthcare Company Profile

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc provides behavioral healthcare services in the United States and Puerto Rico. The company develops and operates acute inpatient psychiatric facilities, specialty treatment facilities comprising residential recovery facilities and eating disorder facilities, comprehensive treatment centers, and residential treatment centers, as well as facilities offering outpatient behavioral healthcare services for the behavioral healthcare and recovery needs of communities.