First Advantage (NYSE:FA) Rating Lowered to Hold at Zacks Research

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) was downgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Needham & Company LLC raised First Advantage from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on First Advantage from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Citigroup raised their price objective on First Advantage from $18.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on First Advantage from $20.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.33.

First Advantage Stock Performance

NYSE:FA opened at $18.37 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.85, a current ratio of 3.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. First Advantage has a twelve month low of $8.82 and a twelve month high of $25.15. The company has a fifty day moving average of $20.57 and a 200-day moving average of $17.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 612.33 and a beta of 1.12.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Advantage

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. KBC Group NV purchased a new stake in First Advantage during the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of First Advantage by 47.1% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,445 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 783 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new stake in shares of First Advantage in the first quarter valued at approximately $45,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of First Advantage in the second quarter valued at approximately $81,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of First Advantage by 9.8% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 8,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,000 after purchasing an additional 724 shares during the period. 94.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About First Advantage

First Advantage Corporation (NYSE: FA) is a global provider of employment background screening and workforce-management solutions. The company helps employers make informed hiring and onboarding decisions through services that may include criminal-record searches, identity verification, employment and education verification, professional-license checks, drug and health screening, and ongoing workforce monitoring.

Its technology platform is designed to support the hiring and compliance processes of organizations of varying sizes and across multiple industries.