Fred Alger Management LLC Has $22.46 Million Stake in First Advantage Co. $FA

Fred Alger Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) by 11.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,545,640 shares of the company’s stock after selling 201,083 shares during the quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC owned 0.89% of First Advantage worth $22,458,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of First Advantage by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,098,714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $132,204,000 after buying an additional 780,200 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of First Advantage by 2.8% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,613,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,179,000 after buying an additional 210,187 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in shares of First Advantage by 18.4% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 6,225,825 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,815,000 after buying an additional 969,314 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of First Advantage by 8.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,315,150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,020,000 after buying an additional 255,641 shares during the period. Finally, Cat Rock Capital Management LP increased its stake 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 buying an additional 702,452 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at First Advantage

In related 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 value of $350,010.00. Following the sale, the president directly owned 19,393 shares in the company, valued at $290,895. This represents a 54.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director James Lindsey Clark sold 4,921 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.69, for a total value of $77,210.49. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 56,844 shares in the company, valued at $891,882.36. The trade was a 7.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays upped their price objective on First Advantage from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $18.00 price objective on First Advantage in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup upped their price objective on First Advantage from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on First Advantage from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $18.50.

First Advantage Stock Performance

Shares of FA stock opened at $16.71 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.35. First Advantage Co. has a one year low of $8.82 and a one year high of $18.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.87 billion, a PE ratio of 557.00 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 3.85 and a quick ratio of 3.85.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) last announced its 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 return on equity of 13.16% and a net margin of 0.65%.During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.17 EPS. First Advantage’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. First Advantage has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.150-1.250 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that First Advantage Co. will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current year.

First Advantage 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.