Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. Trims Stock Position in First Advantage Co. $FA

Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA) by 5.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,425,166 shares of the company’s stock after selling 83,745 shares during the quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in First Advantage were worth $20,708,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in First Advantage in the second quarter valued at approximately $81,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of First Advantage by 105.7% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 7,166 shares of the company’s stock worth $119,000 after purchasing an additional 3,682 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in shares of First Advantage by 503.2% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,932 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 6,617 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Advantage by 22.6% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 9,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 1,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP purchased a new position in shares of First Advantage during the third quarter worth $163,000. 94.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $18.00 target price on shares of First Advantage in a report on Friday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of First Advantage from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of First Advantage from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of First Advantage from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $18.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Joelle M. Smith sold 23,334 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total transaction of $350,010.00. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 19,393 shares in the company, 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

First Advantage Stock Down 1.6%

FA stock opened at $15.04 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 501.33 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $12.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.99. The company has a quick ratio of 3.85, a current ratio of 3.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. First Advantage Co. has a 52 week low of $8.82 and a 52 week high of $19.01.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.05. First Advantage had a net margin of 0.65% and a return on equity of 13.16%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.17 earnings per share. First Advantage has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.150-1.250 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that First Advantage Co. will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Advantage 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.