Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) Stock Jumps 3.6% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Acadia Healthcare shares rose 3.6% to about $31.33, although trading volume was 83% below the average session volume.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: eight analysts rate ACHC a Buy, five Hold, and two Sell, resulting in a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $30.69.
• The company exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $0.38 in EPS and $865.84 million in revenue, while major institutional investors including BlackRock and Jefferies recently initiated positions.

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHC - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 3.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $31.25 and last traded at $31.3290. 498,230 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 2,887,659 shares. The stock had previously closed at $30.23.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ACHC shares. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $31.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $30.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $25.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Acadia Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Leerink Partners lifted their target price on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.69.

Acadia Healthcare Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $28.90 and a 200-day moving average of $27.79. The stock has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a PE ratio of -2.56, a PEG ratio of 9.69 and a beta of 0.63.

Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.03. Acadia Healthcare had a positive return on equity of 6.19% and a negative net margin of 33.44%. The company had revenue of $865.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $844.19 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.83 EPS. The firm's revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Acadia Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.450-1.600 EPS. Research analysts predict that Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Acadia Healthcare

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ACHC. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Acadia Healthcare in the 2nd quarter valued at about $441,685,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Acadia Healthcare in the second quarter worth about $106,458,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new stake in Acadia Healthcare during the first quarter worth approximately $43,017,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in Acadia Healthcare during the second quarter worth approximately $49,746,000. Finally, Invenomic Capital Management LP raised 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 period.

Acadia Healthcare Company Profile

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc NASDAQ: ACHC is a provider of behavioral healthcare services. The company operates a network of psychiatric hospitals, specialty treatment facilities, residential treatment centers and outpatient clinics that provide care for individuals with mental health conditions, substance use disorders and other behavioral health needs.

Acadia's services are designed for children, adolescents and adults and may include inpatient psychiatric treatment, addiction treatment, residential care, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs.

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