CenterBook Partners LP Decreases Stake in First Advantage Co. $FA

CenterBook Partners LP lowered its stake in First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) by 18.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 323,006 shares of the company’s stock after selling 73,695 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP owned 0.19% of First Advantage worth $4,693,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its position in First Advantage by 192.8% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 4,333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 2,853 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in First Advantage in the second quarter valued at approximately $81,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in First Advantage by 105.7% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 7,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,000 after buying an additional 3,682 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in First Advantage by 503.2% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,932 shares of the company’s stock valued at $132,000 after buying an additional 6,617 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in First Advantage in the second quarter valued at approximately $167,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.91% of the company’s stock.

First Advantage Stock Performance

FA opened at $15.76 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $13.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.23. First Advantage Co. has a 1 year low of $8.82 and a 1 year high of $19.01. The stock has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 525.33 and a beta of 1.20.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on FA shares. Citigroup upped their target price on First Advantage from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Barclays upped their target price on First Advantage from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on First Advantage from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $18.00 target price on First Advantage in a report on Friday, May 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $18.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Advantage

In other news, President Joelle M. Smith sold 23,334 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total transaction of $350,010.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 19,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $290,895. This represents a 54.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 4.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.