First Advantage Co. $FA Shares Purchased by Herald Investment Management Ltd

Key Points

• Herald Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in First Advantage Co. by 16%, purchasing an additional 47,873 shares during the 2nd quarter, now holding a total of 347,873 shares.
• First Advantage reported quarterly earnings of $0.27 per share, surpassing analysts' expectations, and its revenue grew by 111.7% year-over-year.
• Shares of First Advantage are currently priced at $15.76 with an average target price from analysts set at $20.00, indicating potential upside.

Herald Investment Management Ltd raised its position in First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA - Free Report) by 16.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 347,873 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 47,873 shares during the period. First Advantage comprises approximately 0.9% of Herald Investment Management Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Herald Investment Management Ltd owned 0.20% of First Advantage worth $5,778,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Signaturefd LLC acquired a new stake in First Advantage during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in First Advantage during the 1st quarter worth about $63,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in First Advantage by 748.5% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,890 shares of the company's stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 6,078 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in First Advantage by 2,967.1% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 9,232 shares of the company's stock valued at $130,000 after purchasing an additional 8,931 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of First Advantage during the 1st quarter worth about $187,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.91% of the company's stock.

First Advantage Stock Up 3.6%

Shares of First Advantage stock opened at $15.76 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $16.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.18. First Advantage Co. has a fifty-two week low of $12.32 and a fifty-two week high of $20.79. The firm has a market cap of $2.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 525.33 and a beta of 1.21. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.03. First Advantage had a net margin of 0.65% and a return on equity of 13.16%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.21 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 111.7% on a year-over-year basis. First Advantage has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.860-1.030 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that First Advantage Co. will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of First Advantage in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Zacks Research raised shares of First Advantage from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $20.00.

Insider Transactions at First Advantage

In related news, President Joelle M. Smith sold 9,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.70, for a total transaction of $155,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 42,727 shares in the company, valued at $670,813.90. This represents a 18.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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