MultiPlan (MPLN) Competitors

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) and MultiPlan (NYSE:MPLN) are both business services, not elsewhere classified industry companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, earnings, risk and dividends.

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in FA or MPLN?

94.9% of First Advantage shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.2% of MultiPlan shares are held by institutional investors. 5.3% of First Advantage shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 8.0% of MultiPlan shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media favor FA or MPLN?

In the previous week, First Advantage had 7 more articles in the media than MultiPlan. MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for First Advantage and 0 mentions for MultiPlan. First Advantage's average media sentiment score of 1.54 beat MultiPlan's score of 0.00 indicating that First Advantage is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
First Advantage	Very Positive
MultiPlan	Neutral

Which has more volatility & risk, FA or MPLN?

First Advantage has a beta of 1.24, indicating that its stock price is 24% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MultiPlan has a beta of 0.13, indicating that its stock price is 87% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has higher valuation & earnings, FA or MPLN?

First Advantage has higher revenue and earnings than MultiPlan. First Advantage is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than MultiPlan, 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
First Advantage	$1.05B	3.06	$37.29M	-$0.91	-20.22
MultiPlan	$930.62M	0.72	-$91.70M	-$101.54	-0.41

Do analysts prefer FA or MPLN?

First Advantage presently has a consensus target price of $20.25, suggesting a potential upside of 10.05%. MultiPlan has a consensus target price of $26.25, suggesting a potential downside of 37.08%. Given First Advantage's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe First Advantage is more favorable than MultiPlan.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Advantage	0 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.29
MultiPlan	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00

Is FA or MPLN more profitable?

First Advantage has a net margin of 0.65% compared to MultiPlan's net margin of -163.30%. First Advantage's return on equity of 13.16% beat MultiPlan's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Advantage	0.65%	13.16%	7.33%
MultiPlan	-163.30%	-12.14%	-1.84%

Summary

First Advantage beats MultiPlan on 15 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.