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

Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) had its target price boosted by equities researchers at UBS Group from $24.00 to $27.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. UBS Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 24.74% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Bank of America downgraded Acadia Healthcare from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $21.50 to $13.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Acadia Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $22.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $33.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, KeyCorp cut their target price on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $30.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.69.

Acadia Healthcare Stock Up 3.9%

ACHC stock traded up $0.81 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $21.65. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,758,110 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,939,678. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $14.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.44. Acadia Healthcare has a twelve month low of $11.43 and a twelve month high of $42.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.45, a PEG ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 0.89.

Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.03 by $0.04. Acadia Healthcare had a return on equity of 7.66% and a net margin of 3.29%.The company had revenue of $821.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $800.10 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. Acadia Healthcare’s revenue for the quarter 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, equities research analysts predict that Acadia Healthcare will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Acadia Healthcare by 676.4% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,351 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,177 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Acadia Healthcare by 54.8% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its holdings in Acadia Healthcare by 208.9% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,233 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,510 shares during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Acadia Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Acadia Healthcare by 501.9% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 1,822 shares during the period.

Key Acadia Healthcare News

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.

Acadia Healthcare Company Profile

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.