First Advantage Co. $FA Shares Purchased by Petrus Trust Company LTA

Key Points

• Petrus Trust Company LTA increased its stake in First Advantage Co. by 124.5%, holding 35,849 shares worth $505,000 as per the latest SEC filing.
• First Advantage reported a 111.7% year-over-year increase in revenue for the latest quarter, with earnings per share of $0.27, beating estimates.
• Analysts have a consensus average rating of Moderate Buy for First Advantage, with a price target of $20.25 reflecting optimistic growth potential.

Petrus Trust Company LTA raised its holdings in First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA - Free Report) by 124.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,849 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 19,880 shares during the period. Petrus Trust Company LTA's holdings in First Advantage were worth $505,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FA. Signaturefd LLC purchased a new position in First Advantage in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in First Advantage in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $63,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position 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 buying an additional 6,078 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position 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 buying an additional 8,931 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new position in First Advantage in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $132,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.91% of the company's stock.

First Advantage Stock Performance

First Advantage stock traded down $0.45 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $15.83. 171,515 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,026,835. First Advantage Co. has a 12-month low of $12.32 and a 12-month high of $20.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 3.85 and a current ratio of 3.85. The stock has a market cap of $2.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 527.33 and a beta of 1.23. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $16.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.04.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.21 EPS. First Advantage's 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. Equities research analysts predict that First Advantage Co. will post 0.74 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on FA. Zacks Research upgraded shares of First Advantage from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of First Advantage in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of First Advantage from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $20.25.

First Advantage Profile

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.