Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) Stock Bumped Up to “Buy” by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

ACHC has been the topic of a number of other reports. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $30.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Acadia Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Leerink Partners raised their price objective 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. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $30.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $32.54.

Acadia Healthcare Stock Up 6.4%

Acadia Healthcare stock opened at $37.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.57. Acadia Healthcare has a 1-year low of $11.43 and a 1-year high of $39.38. The company has a market cap of $3.44 billion, a PE ratio of -2.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.66 and a beta of 0.64. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $29.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.14.

Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $895.31 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $877.76 million. Acadia Healthcare had a positive return on equity of 6.53% and a negative net margin of 33.07%. Acadia Healthcare’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.72 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Acadia Healthcare will post 1.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Acadia Healthcare

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aberdeen Group plc lifted its stake in Acadia Healthcare by 29.7% in the 3rd quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 678,378 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,655,000 after buying an additional 155,415 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in Acadia Healthcare by 30.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in Acadia Healthcare by 73.8% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 121,905 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,352,000 after buying an additional 51,755 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Acadia Healthcare by 62.9% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 184,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,077,000 after buying an additional 71,304 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its position in Acadia Healthcare by 54.8% during the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 20,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $569,000 after buying an additional 7,316 shares in the last quarter.

Key Headlines Impacting Acadia Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Acadia reported third-quarter EPS of $0.60, ahead of the $0.46 consensus, and revenue of $895.3 million, above estimates and up 5.1% year over year. The company also raised its full-year guidance, with its outlook described as slightly above expectations. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim raised its target to $41 and kept a Buy rating; RBC lifted its target from $31 to $41 and maintained Outperform. These revisions reinforce optimism about further gains. Article Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its target to $39 but retained a Neutral rating, signaling a more cautious view than the bullish analyst calls. Analyst rating
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly EPS was below the $0.72 reported a year earlier. Barclays raised its target to $35 but kept an Equal Weight rating; that target is below the cited current share price, suggesting limited upside in its view. Analyst rating

About Acadia Healthcare

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.