Zacks Research Issues Negative Estimate for ACHC Earnings

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHC) – Analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Acadia Healthcare in a report issued on Wednesday, March 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings of $0.28 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.29. Zacks Research 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 Q3 2026 earnings at $0.52 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.19 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.24 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.44 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.52 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.34 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $1.67 EPS.

Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.03 by $0.04. Acadia Healthcare had a positive return on equity of 6.53% and a negative net margin of 33.29%.The firm had revenue of $821.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $800.10 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. The company’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.

ACHC has been the topic of several other reports. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Acadia Healthcare from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Acadia Healthcare from $14.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Leerink Partners raised their price objective on Acadia Healthcare from $14.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of Acadia Healthcare in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Acadia Healthcare from $33.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.15.

Acadia Healthcare Price Performance

ACHC stock opened at $24.15 on Thursday. Acadia Healthcare has a 52 week low of $11.43 and a 52 week high of $31.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.23 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.07 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27.

Institutional Trading of Acadia Healthcare

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Acadia Healthcare by 112.1% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 442,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,967,000 after purchasing an additional 234,107 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 681,278 shares in the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Acadia Healthcare by 164.1% in the 3rd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 59,123 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,464,000 after buying 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 lifted its position in Acadia Healthcare by 1,234.5% during the second quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 173,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,936,000 after acquiring 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: Board addition: Acadia named Daniel Cancelmi to its board of directors, which investors may view as a governance/strategic strengthening depending on his background and network. Acadia Healthcare Appoints Daniel Cancelmi to Board of Directors
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data reported shows zero reported short interest and an effectively zero days-to-cover figure; the entries contain anomalous “0 shares / NaN” figures, so this likely has little reliable informational value for investors until corrected or clarified by exchanges or data vendors.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst estimate cuts from Zacks Research: Zacks issued multiple reductions to Acadia’s near-term quarterly EPS forecasts (Q1–Q4 2026 and Q1–Q4 2027 and selected 2026/2027 quarters), and lowered several quarter estimates for 2026–2027; Zacks maintains a “Hold” rating. These downward revisions lower short-term earnings expectations and could weigh on the stock until management confirms better-than-expected results or raises guidance.

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.