FA
First Advantage Corporation
FA has slightly lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
VRT
Vertiv Holdings Co
VRT has the edge over FA overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger modeled upside.
FA Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Weak |
FA's revenue, profitability and cash flow are currently healthy, but its balance sheet is weak.
VRT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
VRT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently strong.
FA PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 15x | $21.36 | — |
| Cheap | 36x | $9.38 | -56% |
| Fair | 61x | $15.91 | -26% |
| Current | 82x | $21.36 | — |
| Expensive | 191x | $49.63 | +132% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
FA's PE is in its expensive range at 82x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 15x next year's earnings, in its cheap range.
VRT PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 23x | $210 | — |
| Current | 39x | $210 | — |
| Cheap | 58x | $308 | +47% |
| Fair | 72x | $383 | +83% |
| Expensive | 88x | $472 | +125% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
VRT has the edge over FA in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
FA Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for FA, with profitability improving.
VRT Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for VRT, with profitability improving.
FA Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $1.44 | +455% |
| Q3 2026 | $0.26 | +$1.16 |
| Q2 2026 | $0.15 | +$1.12 |
| Q1 2026 | $0.05 | +$1.01 |
| Q4 2025 | -$0.20 | +$0.54 |
| Q3 2025 | -$0.90 | -2350% |
| Q2 2025 | -$0.97 | -671% |
| Q1 2025 | -$0.96 | -517% |
| Q4 2024 | -$0.74 | -385% |
FA has returned to profit: it earned $0.26 per share over the past year, after losing money the year before.
VRT Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $9.14 | +71% |
| Q3 2026 | $5.35 | +102% |
| Q2 2026 | $4.42 | +111% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.98 | +131% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.41 | +166% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.65 | +75% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.09 | +62% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.72 | +64% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.28 | +7.6% |
VRT has the edge over FA on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
FA Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $465.8M | +14% |
| Q2 2026 | $448.8M | +15% |
| Q1 2026 | $385.2M | +8.6% |
| Q4 2025 | $420M | +37% |
| Q3 2025 | $409.2M | +105% |
| Q2 2025 | $390.6M | +112% |
| Q1 2025 | $354.6M | +109% |
| Q4 2024 | $307.1M | +52% |
FA has the edge over VRT on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 13% | +2.6 points |
| Q2 2026 | 13% | +3.1 points |
| Q1 2026 | 8.7% | +6.5 points |
| Q4 2025 | 11% | +37 points |
| Q3 2025 | 10% | +5.7 points |
| Q2 2025 | 9.7% | +4.3 points |
| Q1 2025 | 2.1% | +2.6 points |
| Q4 2024 | -26% | -41 points |
FA's operating margin was 13% last quarter, up 2.6 points from the same quarter a year ago.
VRT Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $4.3B | +61% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.3B | +24% |
| Q1 2026 | $2.6B | +30% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.9B | +23% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.7B | +29% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.6B | +35% |
| Q1 2025 | $2B | +24% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.3B | +26% |
VRT's revenue has grown year over year every quarter since late 2020: $4.3B last quarter, up 61% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 23% | +3.5 points |
| Q2 2026 | 19% | +2.7 points |
| Q1 2026 | 17% | +2.3 points |
| Q4 2025 | 20% | +0.7 points |
| Q3 2025 | 19% | +1.4 points |
| Q2 2025 | 17% | -0.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 14% | +1.9 points |
| Q4 2024 | 19% | +4.2 points |
VRT has the edge over FA on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
FA Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $60.2M | -15% |
| Q2 2026 | $68.9M | +91% |
| Q1 2026 | $46.6M | +146% |
| Q4 2025 | $62.2M | +$148.2M |
| Q3 2025 | $71.2M | +65% |
| Q2 2025 | $36.1M | +15% |
| Q1 2025 | $19M | -50% |
| Q4 2024 | -$86M | -252% |
FA generated $238M in free cash flow over the past year, about six times what it generated the year before.
VRT Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $654.9M | +41% |
| Q2 2026 | $926.5M | +233% |
| Q1 2026 | $654.2M | +145% |
| Q4 2025 | $885.6M | +143% |
| Q3 2025 | $463.5M | +36% |
| Q2 2025 | $277.9M | -19% |
| Q1 2025 | $266.8M | +162% |
| Q4 2024 | $364.5M | +18% |
VRT has the edge over FA on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
FA Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +1.3% | +2.2M shares |
| 1 year | -0.1% | -114K shares |
| 3 years | +21% | +30.7M shares |
| 5 years | +15% | +23M shares |
| Available history | +192% | +115M shares |
FA has the edge over VRT on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $204,000 |
| Q2 2026 | $18.9M |
| Q1 2026 | $19.7M |
| Q4 2024 | — |
| Q3 2024 | — |
| Q2 2024 | — |
| Q1 2024 | — |
| Q4 2023 | $3M |
VRT Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | 0% | -64.9K shares |
| 1 year | +0.4% | +1.8M shares |
| 3 years | +1.1% | +4.4M shares |
| 5 years | +10% | +36M shares |
| Available history | +63% | +152M shares |
VRT has 393M diluted shares, about the same as a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q4 2025 | — |
| Q3 2025 | — |
| Q2 2025 | — |
| Q1 2025 | — |
| Q4 2024 | — |
| Q3 2024 | — |
| Q2 2024 | — |
| Q1 2024 | $599.9M |
FA Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 5.7x | High |
| Q2 2026 | 6.2x | High |
| Q1 2026 | 6.8x | High |
| Q4 2025 | 7.5x | High |
| Q3 2025 | 15.7x | High |
| Q2 2025 | 25.9x | High |
| Q1 2025 | 55.8x | High |
| Q4 2024 | 133.3x | High |
FA's net debt is about 5.7 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), down from 16 years a year ago.
VRT Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.6x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 0.8x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 0.8x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 1.0x | Healthy |
VRT has the edge over FA on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
FA Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 56.3 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 62.8 | Neutral |
FA's weekly RSI is 56 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 63 (neutral).
VRT Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 43.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 26.4 | Neutral |
VRT's weekly RSI is 43 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 26 (neutral).
FA PE vs Industrials Sector
| Metric | FA | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 82x | 24x | 242% above |
| PE % | 68 | 62 | 6 pts above |
FA is trading at 82x earnings, a 242% premium to the Industrials sector's median of 24x.
VRT PE vs Industrials Sector
| Metric | VRT | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 39x | 24x | 63% above |
| PE % | 3 | 58 | 55 pts below |
VRT has the edge over FA on valuation relative to its sector.
FA Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $20.5 | 4.4% above |
| 20 week MA | $20.8 | 2.6% above |
| 50 week MA | $16.5 | 30% above |
| 100 week MA | $16.3 | 31% above |
| 200 week MA | $16.0 | 34% above |
FA has the edge over VRT on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
VRT Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $221.8 | 5.5% below |
| 20 week MA | $254.4 | 18% below |
| 50 week MA | $253.9 | 17% below |
| 100 week MA | $189.1 | 11% above |
| 200 week MA | $123.5 | 70% above |
VRT has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 70% above its 200-week average.
FA Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $20.5 | $18.2 | -12% |
| 2022 | $18.2 | $13.0 | -28% |
| 2023 | $13.0 | $16.6 | +27% |
| 2024 | $16.6 | $18.7 | +13% |
| 2025 | $18.7 | $15.5 | -17% |
| 2026 YTD | $15.5 | $21.4 | +38% |
FA has the edge over VRT on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
VRT Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $10.9 | $18.9 | +73% |
| 2021 | $18.9 | $24.9 | +31% |
| 2022 | $24.9 | $12.8 | -48% |
| 2023 | $12.8 | $48.0 | +275% |
| 2024 | $48.0 | $115.1 | +140% |
| 2025 | $115.1 | $167.6 | +46% |
| 2026 YTD | $167.6 | $209.6 | +25% |
VRT's yearly returns have swung widely, from +275% in 2023 to −48% in 2022. It's up 25% so far in 2026.