First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $23.3333.

FA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of First Advantage from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Needham & Company LLC raised First Advantage from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Barclays raised their target price on First Advantage from $20.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of First Advantage from $18.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $18.00 price objective on shares of First Advantage in a report on Friday, May 8th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director James Lindsey Clark sold 4,921 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.69, for a total value of $77,210.49. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 56,844 shares in the company, valued at $891,882.36. This represents a 7.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 4.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of First Advantage

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. KBC Group NV purchased a new stake in First Advantage in the first quarter worth about $35,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of First Advantage by 47.1% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 783 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new position in shares of First Advantage during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of First Advantage by 192.8% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 4,333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 2,853 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in First Advantage in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $81,000. Institutional investors own 94.91% of the company’s stock.

First Advantage Stock Performance

Shares of FA opened at $20.93 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 697.67 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $20.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.45. First Advantage has a 12 month low of $8.82 and a 12 month high of $25.15. The company has a current ratio of 3.85, a quick ratio of 3.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.06. First Advantage had a return on equity of 13.16% and a net margin of 0.65%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.27 earnings per share. First Advantage has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.23-1.290 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that First Advantage will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.