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

First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the seven research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $19.25.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on FA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of First Advantage from $21.00 to $17.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Zacks Research cut First Advantage from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Advantage

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of First Advantage by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,562,204 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,558,000 after purchasing an additional 94,220 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its position in First Advantage by 19.6% during the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,896,207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,866,000 after purchasing an additional 474,634 shares during the last quarter. BloombergSen Inc. increased its stake in First Advantage by 100.4% during the 3rd quarter. BloombergSen Inc. now owns 266,324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,099,000 after purchasing an additional 133,436 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in First Advantage by 16.2% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,818,904 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,215,000 after buying an additional 253,773 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its holdings in First Advantage by 16.9% in the second quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 548,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,112,000 after buying an additional 79,211 shares during the last quarter. 94.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Advantage Stock Performance

Shares of FA stock opened at $11.94 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $14.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.93. The stock has a market cap of $2.08 billion, a PE ratio of 398.00 and a beta of 1.17. 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 has a 12 month low of $11.88 and a 12 month high of $20.27.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.02. First Advantage had a net margin of 0.65% and a return on equity of 13.16%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.26 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 105.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that First Advantage will post 0.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.