First Advantage (FA) Competitors

HealthEquity (NASDAQ:HQY) and First Advantage (NYSE:FA) are both mid-cap business services companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, media sentiment, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability and valuation.

Does the media favor HQY or FA?

In the previous week, HealthEquity had 11 more articles in the media than First Advantage. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for HealthEquity and 3 mentions for First Advantage. First Advantage's average media sentiment score of 1.09 beat HealthEquity's score of 0.91 indicating that First Advantage is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
HealthEquity	10 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
First Advantage	1 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has better valuation and earnings, HQY or FA?

HealthEquity has higher revenue and earnings than First Advantage. First Advantage is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than HealthEquity, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
HealthEquity	$1.20B	7.17	$96.70M	$1.37	72.66
First Advantage	$1.05B	2.85	$37.29M	-$0.91	-18.85

Do analysts rate HQY or FA?

HealthEquity currently has a consensus price target of $118.09, suggesting a potential upside of 18.62%. First Advantage has a consensus price target of $66.00, suggesting a potential upside of 284.73%. Given First Advantage's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe First Advantage is more favorable than HealthEquity.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
HealthEquity	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	9 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
First Advantage	0 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.38

Do insiders & institutionals hold more shares of HQY or FA?

99.6% of HealthEquity shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.9% of First Advantage shares are held by institutional investors. 1.5% of HealthEquity shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.3% of First Advantage shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Which has more volatility and risk, HQY or FA?

HealthEquity has a beta of 0.49, meaning that its share price is 51% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Advantage has a beta of 1.24, meaning that its share price is 24% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is HQY or FA more profitable?

HealthEquity has a net margin of 9.80% compared to First Advantage's net margin of 0.65%. First Advantage's return on equity of 13.16% beat HealthEquity's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
HealthEquity	9.80%	11.01%	6.77%
First Advantage	0.65%	13.16%	7.33%

Summary

HealthEquity beats First Advantage on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.