First Advantage (NYSE:FA) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Key Points

• First Advantage has been upgraded by Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating, signaling positive analyst sentiment.
• The company's shares have a current average rating of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus price target of $20.25, compared to its recent trading price of $16.06.
• First Advantage reported a 111.7% increase in revenue year-over-year and exceeded earnings expectations by reporting $0.27 per share against a consensus estimate of $0.24.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, September 4th,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of First Advantage from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of First Advantage in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut shares of First Advantage from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $20.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $20.25.

First Advantage Trading Up 3.7%

Shares of FA traded up $0.59 during trading on Thursday, reaching $16.35. 239,137 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,028,907. First Advantage has a twelve month low of $12.32 and a twelve month high of $20.79. The stock has a market cap of $2.84 billion, a PE ratio of 544.83 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.05. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.21 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 111.7% compared to the same quarter last year. First Advantage has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.860-1.030 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that First Advantage will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of First Advantage

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Signaturefd LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Advantage during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in shares of First Advantage by 1,208.3% during the 2nd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,368 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 2,187 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Advantage during the 1st quarter worth approximately $63,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of First Advantage during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $81,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of First Advantage by 748.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,890 shares of the company's stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 6,078 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.91% of the company's stock.

First Advantage Company 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.