First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) Holdings Cut by Emerald Advisers LLC

Emerald Advisers LLC decreased its stake in First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,153,228 shares of the company’s stock after selling 29,822 shares during the quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC’s holdings in First Advantage were worth $21,600,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of First Advantage by 48.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,425,305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $139,076,000 after purchasing an additional 2,409,233 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of First Advantage during the 4th quarter valued at $375,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of First Advantage by 35.8% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 255,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,789,000 after purchasing an additional 67,450 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of First Advantage by 337.3% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,584,054 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,129,000 after purchasing an additional 2,764,534 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in shares of First Advantage during the 4th quarter valued at $1,634,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.91% of the company’s stock.

First Advantage Stock Performance

NYSE:FA opened at $13.51 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $17.09 and its 200-day moving average is $18.32. First Advantage Co. has a 52-week low of $12.55 and a 52-week high of $20.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 3.85 and a current ratio of 3.85. The company has a market cap of $2.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 450.33 and a beta of 1.21.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on FA shares. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of First Advantage in a research note on Friday, February 28th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of First Advantage from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of First Advantage in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of First Advantage from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $58.67.

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.