UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) Stock

Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) had its price objective boosted by UBS Group from $24.00 to $27.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. UBS Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 24.74% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on ACHC. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $17.00 target price on shares of Acadia Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of Acadia Healthcare in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Acadia Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $30.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $17.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.69.

Acadia Healthcare Price Performance

Acadia Healthcare stock traded up $0.81 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $21.65. 2,758,110 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,939,678. The company has a market capitalization of $2.00 billion, a PE ratio of 18.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a fifty day moving average of $14.48 and a 200 day moving average of $18.52. Acadia Healthcare has a 1-year low of $11.43 and a 1-year high of $42.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.03 by $0.04. Acadia Healthcare had a net margin of 3.29% and a return on equity of 7.66%. The business had revenue of $821.46 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $800.10 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Acadia Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.300-1.550 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.250-0.300 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Acadia Healthcare will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Acadia Healthcare

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Acadia Healthcare by 112.1% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 442,943 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,967,000 after purchasing an additional 234,107 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Acadia Healthcare by 85.1% in the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 28,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $651,000 after purchasing an additional 13,188 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Acadia Healthcare by 164.1% in the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 59,123 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,464,000 after purchasing an additional 36,733 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Acadia Healthcare during the third quarter worth about $8,919,000. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP grew its holdings in shares of Acadia Healthcare by 1,234.5% during the second quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 173,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,936,000 after buying an additional 160,482 shares in the last quarter.

Key Headlines Impacting Acadia Healthcare

Here are the key news stories impacting Acadia Healthcare this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue beat and volumes improved — Acadia reported $821.5M in Q4 revenue (up 6.1% YoY) and rising admissions/patient days, which topped estimates and was the main driver cited for the stock jump. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 2026 guidance materially above Street — management raised Q1 EPS guidance to $0.250–$0.300 vs. a ~$0.11 consensus and set revenue guidance above estimates, signaling near‑term operational recovery. (Company release and analyst coverage noted this.) Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades/price target increases — TD Cowen reiterated a Buy and lifted its target to $24, and RBC raised its target to $28 with an Outperform, giving additional lift and validation to the rally. Read More. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings beat vs. consensus but EPS down sharply YoY — ACHC posted $0.07 EPS (beat $0.03 consensus) while FY commentary showed revenue growth but much lower EPS versus prior year, creating mixed indicators for valuation. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and transcripts available — investors can review the full earnings release and the Q4 call transcript for color on admissions, facility performance and cost dynamics. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance below consensus — the company set FY EPS of $1.30–$1.55 vs. a ~$1.75 consensus, which could cap upside for longer‑term estimates and valuation. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Large short interest — reports show roughly 35.9% of shares sold short with a multi‑day days‑to‑cover ratio, increasing the stock’s volatility and risk of abrupt moves both up (short covering) and down (forced liquidations). Read More.

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.