Which Is a Better Investment, Acadia Healthcare Company Inc or Sotera Health Co Stock?

By Jenna Brashear
August 03, 2026
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Sifting through countless of stocks in the Health Care Providers & Services industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. or Sotera Health Company because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. and Sotera Health Company compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. and Sotera Health Company

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. provides behavioral healthcare services in the United States and Puerto Rico. The company owns and operates acute inpatient psychiatric facilities; specialty treatment facilities comprising residential recovery facilities and eating disorder facilities; comprehensive treatment centers; and residential treatment centers, as well as facilities providing outpatient behavioral healthcare services for the behavioral healthcare and recovery needs of communities. Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee.

Sotera Health Company provides sterilization solutions, lab testing, and advisory services for the healthcare industry in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Sterigenics, Nordion, and Nelson Labs. The Sterigenics segment offers outsourced terminal sterilization and irradiation services using gamma irradiation, ethylene oxide processing, and electron beam irradiation technologies for medical devices, pharmaceutical, and food safety and advanced applications markets. The Nordion segment provides Cobalt-60 used in the sterilization and irradiation processes for the medical device, pharmaceutical, food safety, and high-performance materials industries, as well as in the treatment of cancer. It also offers gamma irradiation systems. The Nelson Labs segment provides outsourced microbiological and analytical chemistry testing and advisory services for the medical device and pharmaceutical industries. The company was formerly known as Sotera Health Topco, Inc. and changed its name to Sotera Health Company in October 2020. Sotera Health Company was incorporated in 2015 and is headquartered in Broadview Heights, Ohio.

Latest Health Care Providers & Services and Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc., Sotera Health Company Stock News

As of July 31, 2026, Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. had a $2.8 billion market capitalization, compared to the Health Care Providers & Services median of $1.7 million. Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc.’s stock is NA in 2026, NA in the previous five trading days and up 31.94% in the past year.

Currently, Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. does not have a price-earnings ratio. Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $3.4 billion with a -33.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was -0.4%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $1.553 per share for the current fiscal year. Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

Currently, Sotera Health Company’s price-earnings ratio is 43.8. Sotera Health Company’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.2 billion with a 9.9% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 10.0%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $0.966 per share for the current fiscal year. Sotera Health Company does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. and Sotera Health Company Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. and Sotera Health Company’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. and Sotera Health Company Stock Value Grades

Company Ticker Value
Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. ACHC B
Sotera Health Company SHC F

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. has a Value Score of 64, which is Value. Sotera Health Company has a Value Score of 15, which is Ultra Expensive.

The Value Stock Winner: Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Value Grade breakdown above, Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. is considered to have better value than Sotera Health Company. For investors who focus solely on a company’s valuation, Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. and Sotera Health Company’s Momentum Grades

Company Ticker Momentum
Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. ACHC A
Sotera Health Company SHC A

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 85, which is Very Strong. Sotera Health Company has a Momentum Score of 81, which is Very Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Momentum Grade breakdown above, both Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. and Sotera Health Company have a grade of A. For those who focus solely on a company’s momentum, further research will need to be conducted into both companies to see if they fit your individual needs as an investor.

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. and Sotera Health Company’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company Ticker Earnings Estimate
Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. ACHC B
Sotera Health Company SHC C

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 72, which is Positive. Sotera Health Company has a Earnings Estimate Score of 50, which is Neutral.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Sotera Health Company. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Don’t Forget Your Free Special Report on How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Investment Decisions

Other Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. and Sotera Health Company Grades

In addition to Value, Momentum and Estimate Revisions, A+ Investor also provides grades for Growth and Quality.

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Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. and Sotera Health Company pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. or Sotera Health Company Stock?

Overall, Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 64, Momentum Score of 85 and Estimate Revisions Score of 72.

Sotera Health Company stock has a Value Score of 15, Momentum Score of 81 and Estimate Revisions Score of 50.

Comparing Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. and Sotera Health Company’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

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AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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