Compare Auna S.A. (AUNA) vs Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (ACHC) Stock

Auna S.A. (AUNA) offers the better valuation at 11.0x trailing P/E (1.6x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (ACHC) a "Buy" — based on 25 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.

On forward P/E, Auna S.A. is actually cheaper at 1.6x.

Over the past 5 years, Auna S.A. (AUNA) delivered a total return of -44.4%, compared to -58.2% for Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (ACHC). A $10,000 investment in AUNA five years ago would be worth approximately $6K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: AUNA returned -44.4% versus ACHC's -57.7%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.

By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Auna S.A. (AUNA) is the lower-risk stock at 0.43β versus Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc.'s 0.75β — meaning ACHC is approximately 73% more volatile than AUNA relative to the S&P 500. On balance sheet safety, Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (ACHC) carries a lower debt/equity ratio of 123% versus 2% for Auna S.A. — giving it more financial flexibility in a downturn.

Auna S.A. (AUNA) is the more profitable company, earning 2.5% net margin versus -33.3% for Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. — meaning it keeps 2.5% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: AUNA leads at 16.1% versus 11.7% for ACHC. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — AUNA leads at 37.2%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.

On forward earnings alone, Auna S.A. (AUNA) trades at 1.6x forward P/E versus 15.7x for Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. — 14.1x cheaper on a one-year earnings basis. Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for AUNA: 42.9% to $7.63.

None of the stocks in this comparison currently pay a material dividend. All are effectively zero-yield and should be held for capital appreciation rather than income.

For long-horizon retirement investors, Auna S.A. (AUNA) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.43)). Both have compounded well over 10 years (AUNA: -44.4%, ACHC: -57.7%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.

Both stocks operate in the Healthcare sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. In terms of investment character: AUNA is a small-cap deep-value stock; ACHC is a small-cap quality compounder stock. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.