Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) Shares Gap Up on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHC) gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $17.17, but opened at $20.31. Acadia Healthcare shares last traded at $21.25, with a volume of 2,657,887 shares.

The company reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.03 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $821.46 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $800.10 million. Acadia Healthcare had a negative net margin of 33.29% and a positive return on equity of 6.53%. Acadia Healthcare’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.64 earnings per share. 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.

More Acadia Healthcare News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue topped estimates — revenue of ~$821.5M (≈6% YoY growth) and rising admissions/patient days, which investors interpreted as signs of operational recovery. Acadia Healthcare’s (NASDAQ:ACHC) Q4 CY2025 Sales Top Estimates, Stock Jumps 10.8%
• Positive Sentiment: Company issued upbeat Q1 2026 guidance (EPS $0.25–$0.30 vs. consensus $0.11 and revenue $820–$830M vs. consensus ~$799.5M), suggesting sequential improvement into the year — a near‑term catalyst for the rally. Acadia Healthcare Announces Fourth Quarter and 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analysts raised targets and reiterated buys/outperform (RBC to $28, UBS to $27, TD Cowen to $24), providing fresh broker support and likely amplifying the rally. Benzinga — analyst target/ratings summaries
• Neutral Sentiment: Opinion pieces and analyst notes highlight a returning CEO and new management strategy that could improve execution; these are longer‑term positives but don’t guarantee immediate financial turnaround. Acadia Healthcare: New Management Deserves A Shot At Turning Business Around
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance was lowered relative to sell‑side consensus (guidance $1.30–$1.55 vs. consensus ~$1.75), which caps upside and raises questions about full‑year margins and profitability. Acadia Healthcare Announces Fourth Quarter and 2025 Results
• Negative Sentiment: EPS collapsed year‑over‑year (reported $0.07 vs $0.64 prior year) and operating profit fell sharply — a reminder that revenue strength hasn’t yet translated into sustained earnings recovery. Acadia Healthcare Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates on Rising Admissions
• Negative Sentiment: Large short interest reported earlier in February (≈32.45M shares, ~35.9% sold short; ~7.3 days to cover) increases volatility risk — it can both pressure the stock and set up rapid squeezes. (Data reported in short‑interest updates.)

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on ACHC. Barclays reduced their target price on Acadia Healthcare from $17.00 to $14.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Acadia Healthcare from $22.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Guggenheim cut their target price on Acadia Healthcare from $27.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $30.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $33.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Seven 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $20.69.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Acadia Healthcare

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alpine Global Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Acadia Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at about $174,000. Aristides Capital LLC purchased a new position in Acadia Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at about $196,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Acadia Healthcare by 58.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 727,846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,328,000 after purchasing an additional 269,140 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Acadia Healthcare by 24.9% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 11,774,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $167,077,000 after buying an additional 2,350,760 shares during the period. Finally, SummitTX Capital L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Acadia Healthcare in the 4th quarter worth approximately $821,000.

Acadia Healthcare Trading Up 7.0%

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $14.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a PE ratio of -1.83, a P/E/G ratio of 7.04 and a beta of 0.89.

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.