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

First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $53.29.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on FA shares. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of First Advantage in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on First Advantage in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $20.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of First Advantage in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 target price on shares of First Advantage in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of First Advantage in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th.

First Advantage Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE FA opened at $18.58 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 3.85 and a current ratio of 3.85. First Advantage has a one year low of $14.01 and a one year high of $20.79. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $18.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 619.33 and a beta of 1.17.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Advantage

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of First Advantage by 15.3% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new stake in shares of First Advantage in the fourth quarter worth $132,000. Two Sigma Securities LLC acquired a new stake in First Advantage in the fourth quarter valued at $188,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in First Advantage by 1,219.4% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 10,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $198,000 after acquiring an additional 9,755 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA bought a new position in shares of First Advantage during the fourth quarter worth about $210,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.91% of the company’s stock.

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.