First Advantage (NYSE:FA) Sees Large Volume Increase – What’s Next?

First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Tuesday . 447,748 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 18% from the previous session’s volume of 549,037 shares.The stock last traded at $20.07 and had previously closed at $20.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on FA shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on First Advantage from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of First Advantage in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $22.00 price target on shares of First Advantage in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wolfe Research downgraded First Advantage from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of First Advantage in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $58.83.

First Advantage Price Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $18.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.95. The company has a quick ratio of 3.85, a current ratio of 3.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 671.33 and a beta of 1.18.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.01. First Advantage had a return on equity of 13.16% and a net margin of 0.65%. The company had revenue of $199.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $204.39 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.25 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that First Advantage Co. will post 0.75 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of First Advantage

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of First Advantage by 49.7% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 865 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Advantage in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $250,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in First Advantage during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $209,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in First Advantage during the second quarter valued at approximately $211,000. Finally, Truist Financial Corp bought a new stake in First Advantage in the second quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Institutional investors own 94.91% of the company’s stock.

First Advantage Company Profile

First Advantage Corporation provides employment background screening, identity, and verification solutions worldwide. It offers pre-onboarding products and solutions, such as criminal background checks, drug/health screening, extended workforce screening, FBI channeling, identity checks and biometric fraud mitigation tools, education/work history verification, driver records and compliance, healthcare credentials, executive screening, and other screening products.