First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $58.67.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of First Advantage in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 target price on shares of First Advantage in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of First Advantage from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on First Advantage from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 28th.

First Advantage Trading Down 3.2 %

Shares of FA stock opened at $13.51 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $17.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 3.85 and a quick ratio of 3.85. First Advantage has a 1-year low of $12.55 and a 1-year high of $20.79. The firm has a market cap of $2.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 450.33 and a beta of 1.21.

Institutional Trading of First Advantage

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in First Advantage by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 6,267 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 832 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new position in shares of First Advantage in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $132,000. Two Sigma Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Advantage during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $188,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of First Advantage by 1,219.4% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 10,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $198,000 after buying an additional 9,755 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA bought a new stake in shares of First Advantage in the fourth quarter worth $210,000. 94.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.