American Century Companies Inc. Increases Position in First Advantage Co. $FA

American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,562,204 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 94,220 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 1.48% of First Advantage worth $42,558,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of First Advantage by 2,967.1% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 9,232 shares of the company’s stock worth $130,000 after buying an additional 8,931 shares during the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC raised its stake in First Advantage by 10.4% during the 1st quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 1,289,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,164,000 after acquiring an additional 121,687 shares during the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its position in First Advantage by 23.6% during the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 174,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,458,000 after acquiring an additional 33,339 shares during the period. Herald Investment Management Ltd grew its stake in shares of First Advantage by 16.0% in the 2nd quarter. Herald Investment Management Ltd now owns 347,873 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,778,000 after purchasing an additional 47,873 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Petrus Trust Company LTA grew its stake in shares of First Advantage by 124.5% in the 1st quarter. Petrus Trust Company LTA now owns 35,849 shares of the company’s stock valued at $505,000 after purchasing an additional 19,880 shares during the last quarter. 94.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Advantage Stock Performance

Shares of FA stock opened at $13.87 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a PE ratio of 462.33 and a beta of 1.19. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $14.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.98. First Advantage Co. has a 52 week low of $11.95 and a 52 week high of $20.36.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.02. First Advantage had a net margin of 0.65% and a return on equity of 13.16%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.26 EPS. First Advantage’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. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that First Advantage Co. will post 0.74 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on First Advantage from $21.00 to $17.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 7th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of First Advantage in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of First Advantage from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. 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.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $19.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Advantage

In related news, President Joelle M. Smith sold 9,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the president directly owned 42,727 shares in the company, valued at $670,813.90. This trade represents a 18.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.