Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. Has $8.56 Million Stock Holdings in First Advantage Co. $FA

Key Points

• Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel boosted its First Advantage stake by 22.8% in the first quarter, ending with 728,332 shares worth about $8.56 million.
• Several analysts turned more positive on the stock, with Barclays and JPMorgan raising price targets and assigning overweight/buy ratings; the consensus view is now Hold with a $18.50 target.
• First Advantage reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings of $0.26 per share and 8.6% revenue growth, while insiders also sold shares in recent Rule 10b5-1 transactions.

Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. raised its stake in First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA - Free Report) by 22.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 728,332 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 135,418 shares during the quarter. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. owned approximately 0.42% of First Advantage worth $8,565,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FA. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of First Advantage by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 35,567 shares of the company's stock worth $501,000 after purchasing an additional 1,471 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank grew its stake 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 buying an additional 2,400 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 2,463 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 2,853 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in First Advantage by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 13,751 shares of the company's stock worth $200,000 after acquiring an additional 2,875 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of First Advantage from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $18.00 target price on shares of First Advantage in a report on Friday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price 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. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on First Advantage from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, First Advantage has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $18.50.

Insider Transactions at First Advantage

In other First Advantage news, President Joelle M. Smith sold 23,334 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $350,010.00. Following 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through 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 firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.69, for a total transaction of $77,210.49. Following the sale, the director owned 56,844 shares of the company's stock, valued at $891,882.36. This trade represents a 7.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 4.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

First Advantage Trading Down 0.2%

FA stock opened at $22.30 on Tuesday. First Advantage Co. has a one year low of $8.82 and a one year high of $22.78. The stock has a market cap of $3.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 743.33 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $17.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.11. 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 - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.17 EPS. First Advantage has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.150-1.250 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that First Advantage Co. will post 0.74 EPS for the current year.

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.

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