Renaissance Technologies LLC Invests $1.29 Million in First Advantage Co. $FA

Key Points

• Renaissance Technologies acquired 109,497 shares of First Advantage worth approximately $1.29 million, while institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 94.91% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with an average price target of $22.67; Barclays raised its target to $30 and RBC increased its target to $24.
• First Advantage exceeded quarterly earnings expectations with $0.35 in EPS versus $0.29 forecast, while revenue grew 14.9% year over year. Shares opened at $22.20, near the upper end of their 52-week range.

Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 109,497 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,288,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 0.06% of First Advantage at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in First Advantage by 724.5% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,256,511 shares of the company's stock worth $87,311,000 after acquiring an additional 4,618,946 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of First Advantage by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,098,714 shares of the company's stock valued at $132,204,000 after buying an additional 780,200 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of First Advantage by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 13,954,320 shares of the company's stock valued at $202,757,000 after buying an additional 572,580 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Advantage during the second quarter worth $7,107,000. Finally, Sunriver Management LLC raised its position in shares of First Advantage by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. Sunriver Management LLC now owns 2,661,286 shares of the company's stock worth $38,668,000 after acquiring an additional 310,672 shares during the last quarter. 94.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on First Advantage from $20.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of First Advantage from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. 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. Stifel Nicolaus set a $18.00 price target on shares of First Advantage in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of First Advantage from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $22.67.

First Advantage Price Performance

Shares of FA opened at $22.20 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $14.90. First Advantage Co. has a 52-week low of $8.82 and a 52-week high of $25.15. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $3.81 billion, a PE ratio of 740.00 and a beta of 1.16.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.06. 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 $0.27 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. First Advantage has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.23-1.290 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that First Advantage Co. will post 0.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James Lindsey Clark sold 4,921 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.69, for a total transaction of $77,210.49. Following the sale, the director directly owned 56,844 shares in the company, valued at $891,882.36. This trade represents a 7.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 4.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

First Advantage 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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