First Advantage Co. $FA Shares Purchased by First Trust Advisors LP

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors more than doubled its First Advantage stake in the first quarter, adding 171,215 shares to own 338,260 shares worth approximately $4.0 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 94.91% of the company.
• First Advantage reported quarterly EPS of $0.26, beating the $0.21 analyst consensus, while revenue increased 8.6% year over year. Analysts expect approximately $0.74 in EPS for the current fiscal year.
• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $19.00, below the stock’s reported opening price of $20.56; price targets range from $18 to $21.

First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA - Free Report) by 102.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 338,260 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 171,215 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.20% of First Advantage worth $3,978,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in First Advantage by 4.3% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 35,567 shares of the company's stock valued at $501,000 after purchasing an additional 1,471 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank grew its position in shares of First Advantage by 1.6% in the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 151,544 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,332,000 after purchasing an additional 2,400 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of First Advantage by 5.9% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 44,279 shares of the company's stock worth $735,000 after purchasing an additional 2,463 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of First Advantage by 192.8% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 4,333 shares of the company's stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 2,853 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of First Advantage by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 13,751 shares of the company's stock worth $200,000 after purchasing an additional 2,875 shares during the last quarter. 94.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Advantage Price Performance

First Advantage stock opened at $20.56 on Thursday. First Advantage Co. has a 52-week low of $8.82 and a 52-week high of $22.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 685.33 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $18.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.56. 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 (NYSE:FA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.05. First Advantage had a net margin of 0.65% and a return on equity of 13.16%. First Advantage's revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.17 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that First Advantage Co. will post 0.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director James Lindsey Clark sold 4,921 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.69, for a total transaction of $77,210.49. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 56,844 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $891,882.36. This represents a 7.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 4.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on FA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of First Advantage from $15.00 to $18.00 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 boosted their price objective on First Advantage from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on First Advantage from $17.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Barclays raised 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $19.00.

About First Advantage

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.

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