First Advantage (NYSE:FA) Given New $18.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) had its price target upped by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $15.00 to $18.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 13.82% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of First Advantage from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup dropped their price target on First Advantage from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $18.00 price objective on First Advantage in a report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.20.

First Advantage Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE FA traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $15.82. 1,068,965 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,142,221. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $11.75 and a 200 day moving average of $12.89. First Advantage has a 1 year low of $8.82 and a 1 year high of $19.01. 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 cap of $2.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 526.67 and a beta of 1.13.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.05. First Advantage had a net margin of 0.65% and a return on equity of 13.16%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.17 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. First Advantage has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.150-1.250 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that First Advantage will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Advantage

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in First Advantage by 724.5% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,256,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,311,000 after buying an additional 4,618,946 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of First Advantage by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,098,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,204,000 after acquiring an additional 780,200 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of First Advantage by 8,338.6% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 777,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,294,000 after acquiring an additional 768,064 shares during the last quarter. Sunriver Management LLC boosted its position in shares of First Advantage by 46.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sunriver Management LLC now owns 2,350,614 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,176,000 after acquiring an additional 741,913 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cat Rock Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of First Advantage by 29.7% in the third quarter. Cat Rock Capital Management LP now owns 3,068,369 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,222,000 after purchasing an additional 702,452 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.91% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about First Advantage

Here are the key news stories impacting First Advantage this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on EPS and revenue — First Advantage delivered adjusted EPS of $0.26 vs. consensus $0.21 and revenue of $385.2M (+8.6% YoY), showing both top-line growth and operating leverage. First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Margin momentum — Adjusted EBITDA rose to $105.3M (27.3% margin) and management expects adjusted EBITDA margins to lift to ~29% in 2H, which supports stronger cash generation and profitability. Margin Guidance Article
• Positive Sentiment: Capital allocation: buybacks and debt paydown — The company repurchased $19.5M of shares under a $100M program and made voluntary debt prepayments (totaling $50M this year), which reduces leverage and returns cash to shareholders. Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance reaffirmed — Management reaffirmed FY26 EPS guidance of $1.15–$1.25 and revenue guidance of $1.6–$1.7B (consensus ~$1.7B), leaving full-year targets intact but with limited upside surprise. Guidance Reaffirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor access — Management will participate in upcoming investor conferences, which can increase analyst visibility and help institutional interest. Investor Conferences
• Negative Sentiment: High valuation and modest GAAP profits — The reported net income was small ($2.2M, 0.6% margin) and the stock trades at a stretched P/E, leaving the share price sensitive to execution slippage. Earnings Snapshot

First Advantage Company Profile

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.