Sifting through countless of stocks in the Professional Services industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in First Advantage Corporation or Planet Labs PBC because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how First Advantage Corporation and Planet Labs PBC compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About First Advantage Corporation and Planet Labs PBC

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. The company also provides post-onboarding solutions, including criminal records monitoring, I-9 verification, healthcare sanctions, motor vehicle records, social media screening, and global sanctions and licenses; and other products comprising fleet/vehicle compliance, hiring tax credits and incentives, resident/tenant screening, and investigative research. Its products and solutions are used by personnel in recruiting, human resources, risk, compliance, vendor management, safety, and/or security in global enterprises, mid-sized, and small companies. The company was formerly known as Fastball Intermediate, Inc. and changed its name to First Advantage Corporation in March 2021. First Advantage Corporation was founded in 2002 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Planet Labs PBC engages in the design, construction, and launch constellations of satellites with the intent of providing high cadence geospatial data delivered to customers through an online platform the United States and internationally. The company’s platform offers planet monitoring, tasking, archive, apps, application programming interfaces (APIs), basemaps, and fusion, as well as analytic feeds and planetary variables. It also provides Tanager, a hyperspectral imaging satellite that delivers full-spectrum imagery across the visible and shortwave infrared regions; and Earth Observation platform, which enables customers and partners to access, analyze, and act on its proprietary data catalog by discovering relevant data layers, extracting useful information, and delivering insights through custom-build solutions or GIS workflows through APIs and browser-based applications. It serves agriculture, mapping, energy, forestry, finance, and insurance companies, as well as government agencies. Planet Labs PBC was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Latest Professional Services and First Advantage Corporation, Planet Labs PBC Stock News

As of February 24, 2026, First Advantage Corporation had a $1.6 billion market capitalization, compared to the Professional Services median of $1.2 million. First Advantage Corporation’s stock is down 34.5% in 2026, down 2.7% in the previous five trading days and down 50.27% in the past year.

Currently, First Advantage Corporation does not have a price-earnings ratio. First Advantage Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.5 billion with a -9.5% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 105.5%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $1.005 per share for the current fiscal year. First Advantage Corporation does not currently pay a dividend.

As of February 24, 2026, Planet Labs PBC had a $8.4 billion market cap, putting it in the 75th percentile of all stocks. Planet Labs PBC’s stock is up 24.9% in 2026, up 3.7% in the previous five trading days and up 397.18% in the past year.

Currently, Planet Labs PBC does not have a price-earnings ratio. Planet Labs PBC’s trailing 12-month revenue is $282.5 million with a -45.9% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 32.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $-0.114 per share for the current fiscal year. Planet Labs PBC does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare First Advantage Corporation and Planet Labs PBC Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at First Advantage Corporation and Planet Labs PBC’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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First Advantage Corporation and Planet Labs PBC’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
First Advantage Corporation	FA	F
Planet Labs PBC	PL	D

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

First Advantage Corporation has a Quality Score of 14, which is Very Weak. Planet Labs PBC has a Quality Score of 30, which is Weak.

The Quality Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither First Advantage Corporation or Planet Labs PBC has a high enough Quality Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if First Advantage Corporation or Planet Labs PBC is the better investment when it comes to quality.

First Advantage Corporation and Planet Labs PBC’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
First Advantage Corporation	FA	F
Planet Labs PBC	PL	A

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

First Advantage Corporation has a Momentum Score of 9, which is Very Weak. Planet Labs PBC has a Momentum Score of 98, which is Very Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Planet Labs PBC

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Planet Labs PBC is considered to have stronger momentum compared to First Advantage Corporation. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Planet Labs PBC could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

First Advantage Corporation and Planet Labs PBC’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
First Advantage Corporation	FA	C
Planet Labs PBC	PL	B

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

First Advantage Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 58, which is Neutral. Planet Labs PBC has a Earnings Estimate Score of 61, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Planet Labs PBC

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Planet Labs PBC has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than First Advantage Corporation. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Planet Labs PBC could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other First Advantage Corporation and Planet Labs PBC Grades

In addition to Quality, Momentum and Estimate Revisions, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Growth.

Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether First Advantage Corporation and Planet Labs PBC pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, First Advantage Corporation or Planet Labs PBC Stock?

Overall, First Advantage Corporation stock has a Momentum Score of 9, Estimate Revisions Score of 58 and Quality Score of 14.

Planet Labs PBC stock has a Momentum Score of 98, Estimate Revisions Score of 61 and Quality Score of 30.

Comparing First Advantage Corporation and Planet Labs PBC’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.