Cortland Associates Inc. MO Acquires New Position in First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA)

Cortland Associates Inc. MO acquired a new stake in shares of First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,298,855 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,328,000. First Advantage accounts for about 2.8% of Cortland Associates Inc. MO's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Cortland Associates Inc. MO owned approximately 0.75% of First Advantage at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in FA. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Advantage during the 4th quarter worth approximately $257,000. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in First Advantage by 57.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 81,669 shares of the company's stock worth $1,621,000 after purchasing an additional 29,752 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in First Advantage by 0.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,294,063 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,692,000 after buying an additional 9,718 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of First Advantage by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,253,081 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,874,000 after buying an additional 72,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fred Alger Management LLC lifted its position in First Advantage by 26.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 1,017,228 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,192,000 after acquiring an additional 214,134 shares during the period. 94.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

First Advantage Stock Performance

NYSE FA traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $18.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 232,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 502,163. First Advantage Co. has a 12 month low of $14.01 and a 12 month high of $20.79. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $18.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $18.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 3.85 and a quick ratio of 3.85. The company has a market cap of $3.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 625.83 and a beta of 1.17.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.01. First Advantage had a net margin of 0.65% and a return on equity of 13.16%. The firm had revenue of $199.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $204.39 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.25 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that First Advantage Co. will post 0.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of First Advantage in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $22.00 price target on shares of First Advantage in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of First Advantage in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on First Advantage in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $20.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $22.00 price target on shares of First Advantage in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $53.29.

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.