Analysts Set First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) Price Target at $58.83

Shares of First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $53.29.

Several research firms have weighed in on FA. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of First Advantage from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of First Advantage from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $22.00 price objective on shares of First Advantage in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on First Advantage in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $22.00 target price on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on First Advantage in a report on Wednesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $20.00 price target for the company.

First Advantage Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FA opened at $19.81 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 3.85, a quick ratio of 3.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $18.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 660.33 and a beta of 1.18. First Advantage has a 1-year low of $14.01 and a 1-year high of $20.79.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $199.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $204.39 million. First Advantage had a return on equity of 13.16% and a net margin of 0.65%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.25 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that First Advantage will post 0.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of First Advantage

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in First Advantage by 16.2% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 15,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $252,000 after purchasing an additional 2,163 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Advantage during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $378,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in First Advantage by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 258,265 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,150,000 after buying an additional 2,326 shares during the period. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. grew its stake in First Advantage by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. now owns 607,972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,770,000 after buying an additional 4,950 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in First Advantage by 38.3% during the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 15,948 shares of the company’s stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 4,414 shares during the period. 94.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About First Advantage

First Advantage Corporation provides employment background screening, identity, and verification solutions worldwide. It offers pre-onboarding products and solutions, such as criminal background checks, drug/health screening, extended workforce screening, FBI channeling, identity checks and biometric fraud mitigation tools, education/work history verification, driver records and compliance, healthcare credentials, executive screening, and other screening products.