Zacks Research Predicts Lower Earnings for Acadia Healthcare

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHC) – Analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for Acadia Healthcare in a research report issued on Wednesday, March 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.49 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.66. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Acadia Healthcare’s current full-year earnings is $3.38 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Acadia Healthcare’s FY2026 earnings at $1.48 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $1.55 EPS.

Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.03 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $821.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. 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.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Bank of America cut Acadia Healthcare from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $21.50 to $13.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. KeyCorp lowered their target price on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $30.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $27.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Acadia Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Acadia Healthcare in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.15.

Acadia Healthcare Stock Down 2.6%

ACHC stock opened at $23.52 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.95 and a beta of 0.74. Acadia Healthcare has a 52-week low of $11.43 and a 52-week high of $31.04. The company has a 50-day moving average of $16.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.76.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Acadia Healthcare

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Acadia Healthcare by 112.1% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 442,943 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,967,000 after buying an additional 234,107 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Acadia Healthcare by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,417,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $233,166,000 after acquiring an additional 681,278 shares in the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. boosted its position in Acadia Healthcare by 164.1% during the 3rd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 59,123 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,464,000 after acquiring an additional 36,733 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Acadia Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $8,919,000. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP raised its holdings in shares of Acadia Healthcare by 1,234.5% in the second quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 173,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,936,000 after purchasing an additional 160,482 shares during the last quarter.

Key Stories Impacting Acadia Healthcare

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

• Positive Sentiment: Acadia added Daniel Cancelmi to its Board of Directors, a governance move that can be viewed positively as expanding board expertise and oversight. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data shows zero shares and days-to-cover of 0.0 — the release appears to contain anomalous or missing data (NaN/0) and therefore provides no clear signal about bearish positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut multiple near-term and multi-year EPS estimates and keeps a “Hold” rating. Key changes include Q2 2026 EPS cut to $0.49 (from $0.66), FY2026 to $1.48 (from $1.85), and FY2027 to $1.55 (from $1.96), plus several quarter-by-quarter reductions across 2026–2027. These downward revisions lower investor expectations and are the main reason for today’s downward pressure on the stock.

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.