First Advantage (NYSE:FA) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Strong-Buy Rating

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 equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of First Advantage from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research 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 target price for the company. in a report on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $20.25.

First Advantage Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE FA opened at $16.06 on Thursday. First Advantage has a 1-year low of $12.32 and a 1-year high of $20.79. The company has a market cap of $2.79 billion, a PE ratio of 535.33 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 3.85, a quick ratio of 3.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The company has a 50-day moving average of $16.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.11.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share 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%. The business's revenue was up 111.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.21 earnings per share. First Advantage has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.860-1.030 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that First Advantage will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of First Advantage

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FA. Signaturefd LLC bought a new position in First Advantage in the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in First Advantage by 1,208.3% in the 2nd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,368 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 2,187 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC bought a new position in First Advantage in the 1st quarter valued at about $63,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in First Advantage in the 2nd quarter valued at about $81,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 6,078 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.91% of the company's stock.

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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