Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) Stock Price Up 13.9% - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Acadia Healthcare shares jumped 13.9% to about $33.74, though trading volume was 51% below its average.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: eight analysts rate the stock Buy, five Hold and two Sell. The consensus rating is Hold, with a $30.69 price target—below the latest share price.
• Several institutional investors reported sizable holdings or purchases, including BlackRock, Jefferies Financial Group and Deutsche Bank, which each acquired new stakes in the second quarter.

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHC - Get Free Report) shot up 13.9% on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $33.65 and last traded at $33.7420. Approximately 1,389,672 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 51% from the average session volume of 2,807,796 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.62.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Acadia Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $39.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, September 28th. KeyCorp boosted their target price 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. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Acadia Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $25.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $30.69.

Acadia Healthcare Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $3.02 billion, a PE ratio of -2.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.54 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Acadia Healthcare

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ACHC. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Acadia Healthcare in the second quarter valued at approximately $441,685,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Acadia Healthcare in the second quarter valued at $106,458,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in Acadia Healthcare in the second quarter valued at $49,746,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Acadia Healthcare by 73.0% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,689,442 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,516,000 after buying an additional 712,852 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Braidwell LP lifted its holdings in Acadia Healthcare by 76.7% during the 2nd quarter. Braidwell LP now owns 1,141,477 shares of the company's stock worth $33,708,000 after buying an additional 495,577 shares during the last quarter.

Acadia Healthcare Company Profile

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc is a provider of behavioral healthcare services headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee. The company operates psychiatric hospitals, specialty treatment facilities and outpatient programs focused on mental health and substance use disorders.

Acadia's services include inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care, addiction treatment, residential treatment, eating-disorder programs, and services for children and adolescents. Its facilities serve patients with a range of behavioral health conditions, including depression, anxiety, trauma-related disorders and substance use disorders.

Founded in 2005, Acadia operates primarily in the United States and also has a significant presence in the United Kingdom through its ownership of Priory, a behavioral healthcare provider.

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