ACHC vs UHS Stock Comparison

Acadia Healthcare Company and Universal Health Services Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

Universal Health Services leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Universal Health Services 8, Acadia Healthcare Company 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionACHCUHSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $2.84B $11.07B UHS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -2.5x 7.3x –
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 20.1x 8.1x UHS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +4.3% +10.0% UHS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -33.4% 8.4% UHS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital -24.7% 12.8% UHS
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -2.5x 1.7x ACHC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +34.1% -10.3% ACHC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -11.4%/yr +6.6%/yr UHS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 64.2% 32.9% UHS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 26/100 66/100 UHS

Percentile Scorecard

ACHCUHS

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisACHCUHS
Valuation 45 #52 of 93 98 #3 of 93
Growth 6 #83 of 88 52 #43 of 88
Profitability 17 #72 of 87 78 #20 of 87
Financial Health 34 #66 of 100 42 #58 of 100
Shareholder Returns – 62 #22 of 56
Overall 26 66
  • ACHC ranked among 103 companies in Healthcare Providers
  • UHS ranked among 103 companies in Healthcare Providers

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodACHCUHSSPY
1 month +10.5%+3.1% -1.0%
3 months -8.7%+20.0% +2.9%
6 months +15.1%+7.3% +6.4%
Year to date +122.1%-14.2% +11.4%
1 year +34.1%-10.3% +13.1%
3 years -58.0%+50.2% +79.4%
3 years, per year -25.1%+14.5% +21.5%
5 years -45.4%+37.9% +67.7%
5 years, per year -11.4%+6.6% +10.9%
10 years -19.7%+51.4% +255.2%
10 years, per year -2.2%+4.2% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureACHCUHSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 64.2%32.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 64.7%34.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.950.13 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.53-0.31 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -86.9%-43.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -11.5%-23.4% -2.5%
52-week high $35.61$244.18 $779.14
52-week low $11.68$141.17 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleACHCUHS
P/E now vs peer median -2.5xmedian 25.3x 7.3xmedian 25.3x
P/S now vs peer median 0.9xmedian 1.6x 0.5xmedian 1.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median -5.7xmedian 14.6x 5.3xmedian 14.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median -21.4xmedian 22.7x 11.4xmedian 22.7x
P/B now vs peer median 1.4xmedian 3.3x 1.3xmedian 3.3x
PEG now vs peer median 0.03median 0.66 0.19median 0.66

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsACHCUHS
Revenue $3.37B $18.11B
Operating income – $2.06B
Net income -$1.12B $1.55B
Free cash flow -$134.03M $845.40M
EPS (diluted) $-12.33 $25.47
Cash & equivalents $171.29M $138.80M
Total debt $9.75B $4.85B
Shares (diluted) 91.37M 59.91M
Enterprise value $2.26B $10.56B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricACHCUHS
P/E -2.5x 7.3x
P/FCF -21.4x 11.4x
P/Operating cash flow 13.6x 5.4x
P/S 0.9x 0.5x
P/B 1.4x 1.3x
P/Tangible book 1.5x 1.3x
EV/EBITDA -5.7x 5.3x
EV/EBIT -4.7x 7.0x
EV/Revenue 1.5x 0.8x
EV/FCF -38.1x 17.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 24.3x 8.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.03 0.19

Growth

14 metrics
MetricACHCUHS
Revenue growth (1Y) 4.3% 10.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 6.6% 9.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – –
Operating income growth (1Y) – 13.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) – 23.4%
Net income growth (1Y) -838.8% 20.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -82.3% 31.7%
EPS growth (1Y) -900.5% 31.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -83.4% 37.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -50.4% -5.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -16.6% 15.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 56.9% -6.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -73.4% 18.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricACHCUHS
Gross margin – –
EBITDA margin -26.6% 14.9%
Operating margin – 11.4%
Pretax margin -32.6% 11.2%
Net margin -33.4% 8.4%
FCF margin -4.0% 4.7%
Operating cash flow margin 6.3% 9.9%
Return on equity -57.0% 20.5%
Return on assets -20.2% 9.8%
Return on invested capital -24.7% 12.8%
Return on capital employed -21.9% 16.5%
Asset turnover 0.6x 1.1x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -0.2x 1.2x
Stock comp / revenue 0.9% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricACHCUHS
Debt / assets 43.5% 30.4%
Debt / equity 1.2x 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA -2.5x 1.7x
Debt / FCF -18.0x 5.7x
Liabilities / assets 64.3% 52.4%
Equity / assets 35.7% 47.6%
Interest coverage – 13.1x
Current ratio 1.6x 1.1x
Quick ratio 1.2x 0.9x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.0x
Altman Z-score 0.31 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricACHCUHS
Dividend yield – 0.4%
Net buyback yield – 10.9%
Shareholder yield – 11.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 3.2%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 5.9%
Dividend growth (1Y) – -6.0%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – -4.6%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusACHCUHS
Forward P/E 20.1xFY2026 8.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.57FY2026 $23.19FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -21.5%FY2026 +6.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +22.3% +8.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $3.53BFY2026 $18.14BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +6.5%FY2026 +4.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +6.9% +10.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersACHCUHS
Held by institutions 100.0% 100.0%
Institutions holding 314 597
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.7% +1.2%
Institutions buying 165 289
Institutions selling 98 235
Buyers to sellers 1.68 1.23

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ACHCUHS
ACHC 1.00 0.26
UHS 0.26 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ACHC and UHS?

Universal Health Services (UHS) is the largest by market capitalisation: Acadia Healthcare Company (ACHC) $2.84B, Universal Health Services (UHS) $11.07B.

Which company is growing faster?

Universal Health Services (UHS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Acadia Healthcare Company (ACHC) +4.3%, Universal Health Services (UHS) +10.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Universal Health Services (UHS) has the highest net margin (Acadia Healthcare Company (ACHC) -33.4%, Universal Health Services (UHS) 8.4%). On return on invested capital, Universal Health Services (UHS) leads (Acadia Healthcare Company (ACHC) -24.7%, Universal Health Services (UHS) 12.8%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Acadia Healthcare Company (ACHC) returned the most: Acadia Healthcare Company (ACHC) +34.1%, Universal Health Services (UHS) -10.3%. Over five years, Universal Health Services (UHS) compounded fastest (Acadia Healthcare Company (ACHC) -11.4%/yr, Universal Health Services (UHS) +6.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Acadia Healthcare Company (ACHC) 0.00%, Universal Health Services (UHS) 0.00%. Acadia Healthcare Company (ACHC) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Universal Health Services (UHS) has been the steadiest (Acadia Healthcare Company (ACHC) 64.2%, Universal Health Services (UHS) 32.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Do ACHC and UHS move together?

Their daily returns over the past year have a correlation of 0.26, a weak relationship. Holding both diversifies more than two closely linked stocks would.

Which is the better stock, ACHC and UHS?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Universal Health Services (UHS) leads on 8. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.