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

First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $16.75.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of First Advantage from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Zacks Research cut First Advantage from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Barclays upgraded First Advantage from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $14.00 to $15.00 in a research note on Friday, March 6th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Advantage

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in First Advantage by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 139,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,022,000 after buying an additional 13,554 shares during the last quarter. Cat Rock Capital Management LP lifted its stake 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 valued at $48,571,000 after acquiring an additional 274,449 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Advantage during the 4th quarter valued at about $452,000. Palisade Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of First Advantage by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Palisade Capital Management LP now owns 1,765,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,647,000 after acquiring an additional 79,664 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of First Advantage in the fourth quarter worth approximately $773,000. 94.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Advantage Stock Performance

Shares of FA stock opened at $11.06 on Friday. First Advantage has a one year low of $8.82 and a one year high of $19.01. The company’s 50-day moving average is $12.54 and its 200 day moving average is $13.88. The company has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 368.67 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 3.85 and a current ratio of 3.85.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. First Advantage’s quarterly revenue was up 36.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.18 earnings per share. First Advantage has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.150-1.250 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that First Advantage will post 0.74 EPS 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.