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

Shares of First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $16.75.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Advantage

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FA. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Advantage by 192.8% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 4,333 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 2,853 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in First Advantage in the second quarter worth approximately $81,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in First Advantage by 22.8% during the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 7,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,000 after purchasing an additional 1,328 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of First Advantage by 105.7% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 7,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,000 after purchasing an additional 3,682 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of First Advantage by 503.2% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,932 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,000 after buying an additional 6,617 shares in the last quarter. 94.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

First Advantage Stock Down 0.9%

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

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.04. First Advantage had a net margin of 0.65% and a return on equity of 13.16%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.18 earnings per share. First Advantage’s revenue was up 36.8% compared to the same quarter last year. First Advantage has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.150-1.250 EPS. Equities research analysts expect 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.