First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the six analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $16.75.

FA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays upgraded First Advantage from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $14.00 to $15.00 in a research note on Friday. Zacks Research downgraded First Advantage from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of First Advantage from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of First Advantage from $21.00 to $17.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 7th.

First Advantage Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FA traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $12.05. The stock had a trading volume of 834,187 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,107,494. The company has a quick ratio of 3.85, a current ratio of 3.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. First Advantage has a 1 year low of $8.82 and a 1 year high of $19.01. The company has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a PE ratio of 401.67 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.05.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.04. First Advantage had a return on equity of 13.16% and a net margin of 0.65%.The business’s revenue was up 36.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.18 EPS. First Advantage has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.150-1.250 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that First Advantage will post 0.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Advantage

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of First Advantage by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 13,954,320 shares of the company’s stock worth $202,757,000 after purchasing an additional 572,580 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its position in First Advantage by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,098,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,204,000 after buying an additional 780,200 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of First Advantage by 2.8% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,613,968 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,179,000 after acquiring an additional 210,187 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in shares of First Advantage by 18.4% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 6,225,825 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,815,000 after acquiring an additional 969,314 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cat Rock Capital Management LP increased its position in First Advantage by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Cat Rock Capital Management LP now owns 3,342,818 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,571,000 after purchasing an additional 274,449 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.91% of the company’s stock.

About First Advantage

First Advantage is a global provider of background screening, identity verification and workforce risk management solutions. The company delivers a comprehensive suite of services that help employers verify candidate credentials, manage regulatory compliance and mitigate risk throughout the employee lifecycle. Its platform is built to integrate with leading human capital management and applicant tracking systems, enabling a seamless and scalable experience for organizations of all sizes.

The company’s core offerings include pre-employment and continuous background screening, digital identity verification, drug and health testing, and ongoing employee monitoring.