First Advantage (NYSE:FA) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $18.70 and last traded at $18.7350, with a volume of 242672 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $18.05.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on FA. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of First Advantage from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $18.00 price target on shares of First Advantage in a research note on Friday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of First Advantage from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of First Advantage from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $18.50.

First Advantage Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.21 billion, a PE ratio of 625.33 and a beta of 1.19. 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’s 50 day moving average price is $15.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.56.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.05. First Advantage had a net margin of 0.65% and a return on equity of 13.16%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.17 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. First Advantage has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.150-1.250 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that First Advantage Co. will post 0.74 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at First Advantage

In other news, President Joelle M. Smith sold 23,334 shares of First Advantage stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total transaction of $350,010.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 19,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $290,895. The trade was a 54.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director James Lindsey Clark sold 4,921 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.69, for a total value of $77,210.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 56,844 shares in the company, valued at approximately $891,882.36. This trade represents a 7.97% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of First Advantage

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FA. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in First Advantage by 724.5% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,256,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,311,000 after acquiring an additional 4,618,946 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of First Advantage by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,098,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,204,000 after purchasing an additional 780,200 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in First Advantage by 8,338.6% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 777,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,294,000 after purchasing an additional 768,064 shares in the last quarter. Sunriver Management LLC boosted its position in First Advantage by 46.1% during the third quarter. Sunriver Management LLC now owns 2,350,614 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,176,000 after purchasing an additional 741,913 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cat Rock Capital Management LP grew its stake in First Advantage by 29.7% in the third quarter. Cat Rock Capital Management LP now owns 3,068,369 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,222,000 after purchasing an additional 702,452 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.91% of the company’s stock.

First Advantage Company Profile

First Advantage is a global provider of background screening, identity verification and workforce risk management solutions. The company delivers a comprehensive suite of services that help employers verify candidate credentials, manage regulatory compliance and mitigate risk throughout the employee lifecycle. Its platform is built to integrate with leading human capital management and applicant tracking systems, enabling a seamless and scalable experience for organizations of all sizes.

The company’s core offerings include pre-employment and continuous background screening, digital identity verification, drug and health testing, and ongoing employee monitoring.