Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACHC), a leading provider of behavioral healthcare services, witnessed a significant pre-market plunge of 15.82% in its stock price on Friday morning. This sharp decline was driven by the company's disappointing fourth-quarter 2024 financial results and lackluster full-year 2025 guidance, which fell short of analysts' expectations.
In the fourth quarter, Acadia reported revenue of $774.2 million, missing the consensus estimate of $779 million. The company's adjusted EBITDA of $153.1 million also fell short of the expected $171.4 million, despite posting a net income of $33.5 million for the quarter. Notably, Acadia's adjusted earnings per share of $0.64 missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.72.
The company's full-year 2025 guidance further dampened investor sentiment. Acadia forecasted revenue in the range of $3.3 billion to $3.4 billion and adjusted EBITDA between $675 million and $725 million. These projections fell below analysts' expectations, suggesting that the company's growth trajectory may be slowing down. Additionally, Acadia anticipated capital expenditures ranging from $525 million to $575 million, indicating significant investments to expand its psychiatric bed capacity to meet the growing demand for mental health services.