Analysts Set First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) Target Price at $53.29

First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $53.29.

FA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of First Advantage in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of First Advantage in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of First Advantage in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of First Advantage from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of First Advantage in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $20.00 price target on the stock.

First Advantage Stock Performance

Shares of FA opened at $18.75 on Tuesday. First Advantage has a 12-month low of $14.01 and a 12-month high of $20.79. The stock has a market cap of $3.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 625.00 and a beta of 1.17. 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 $18.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.55.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.01. First Advantage had a return on equity of 13.16% and a net margin of 0.65%. The firm had revenue of $199.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $204.39 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.25 EPS. First Advantage’s quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that First Advantage will post 0.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Advantage

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP boosted its stake in First Advantage by 49.7% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 865 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in First Advantage in the second quarter valued at about $209,000. Truist Financial Corp bought a new stake in First Advantage in the second quarter valued at about $234,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in First Advantage during the third quarter valued at approximately $250,000. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Advantage in the 4th quarter worth approximately $257,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.