JPMorgan Chase & Co. Cuts First Advantage (NYSE:FA) Price Target to $17.00

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) had its price target lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $21.00 to $17.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of First Advantage in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Zacks Research downgraded First Advantage from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $19.25.

First Advantage Stock Down 2.2%

NYSE:FA traded down $0.30 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $13.01. The stock had a trading volume of 490,427 shares, compared to its average volume of 998,414. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 3.85 and a quick ratio of 3.85. The stock has a market cap of $2.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 434.33 and a beta of 1.19. The business’s 50 day moving average is $14.79 and its 200 day moving average is $16.21. First Advantage has a fifty-two week low of $12.25 and a fifty-two week high of $20.79.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $0.26 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 105.5% compared to the same quarter last year. First Advantage has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.980-1.020 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that First Advantage will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Advantage

In related news, President Joelle M. Smith sold 9,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.70, for a total value of $155,430.00. Following the transaction, the president owned 42,727 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $670,813.90. This represents a 18.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Signaturefd LLC acquired a new stake in First Advantage during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of First Advantage by 1,208.3% in the second quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,368 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 2,187 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in First Advantage during the second quarter valued at approximately $81,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of First Advantage by 22.8% during the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 7,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,000 after buying an additional 1,328 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in First Advantage by 105.7% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 7,166 shares of the company’s stock worth $119,000 after purchasing an additional 3,682 shares during the last quarter. 94.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About First Advantage

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.