First Advantage (NYSE:FA) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $12.22 and last traded at $12.34, with a volume of 37312 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $12.50.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research raised First Advantage from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of First Advantage in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on First Advantage from $21.00 to $17.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $19.25.

First Advantage Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $14.29 and a 200 day moving average of $16.11. The company has a quick ratio of 3.85, a current ratio of 3.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market cap of $2.25 billion, a PE ratio of 429.83 and a beta of 1.19.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.02. First Advantage had a return on equity of 13.16% and a net margin of 0.65%.During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.26 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 105.5% on a year-over-year basis. First Advantage has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.980-1.020 EPS. Equities analysts predict that First Advantage Co. will post 0.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at First Advantage

In other news, President Joelle M. Smith sold 9,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.70, for a total transaction of $155,430.00. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 42,727 shares in the company, valued at approximately $670,813.90. This trade represents a 18.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of First Advantage

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of First Advantage by 3.7% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 8,318,514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,022,000 after buying an additional 300,000 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of First Advantage by 2.8% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,613,968 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,179,000 after buying an additional 210,187 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in shares of First Advantage by 18.4% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 6,225,825 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,815,000 after purchasing an additional 969,314 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in First Advantage by 200.1% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,409,427 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,130,000 after acquiring an additional 2,940,155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sunriver Management LLC lifted its stake in First Advantage by 49.2% in the first quarter. Sunriver Management LLC now owns 3,420,507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,195,000 after buying an additional 1,128,272 shares during the last quarter. 94.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.