Fmr LLC Acquires 2,750,166 Shares of First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA)

Fmr LLC boosted its holdings in First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) by 49.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 8,350,192 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,750,166 shares during the quarter. Fmr LLC’s holdings in First Advantage were worth $156,399,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of First Advantage by 48.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,425,305 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,076,000 after purchasing an additional 2,409,233 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in First Advantage by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,485,369 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,011,000 after buying an additional 50,469 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in First Advantage during the fourth quarter worth $71,695,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in First Advantage by 337.3% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,584,054 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,129,000 after buying an additional 2,764,534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners lifted its stake in First Advantage by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,205,291 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,253,000 after acquiring an additional 50,240 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.91% of the company’s stock.

First Advantage Trading Up 6.4 %

NYSE:FA opened at $14.71 on Monday. First Advantage Co. has a 12 month low of $12.32 and a 12 month high of $20.79. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $15.57 and its 200 day moving average is $17.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.55 billion, a PE ratio of 490.33 and a beta of 1.20.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of First Advantage in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $15.00 target price (down previously from $20.00) on shares of First Advantage in a research report on Thursday. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of First Advantage in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on First Advantage from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $65.80.

First Advantage 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.