First Advantage (FA) registers shelf resale of 87.45M existing shares
First Advantage Corporation has registered the resale of up to 87,450,000 shares of common stock on a shelf basis for a single selling stockholder. These shares may be sold from time to time in various types of transactions at market, negotiated, or fixed prices.
The company will not receive any proceeds from these sales; all net proceeds go to the selling stockholder, while First Advantage pays most registration expenses. The selling stockholder beneficially owned 89,557,840 shares (52.1%) as of July 31, 2026, and would hold 2,107,840 shares (1.23%) if it sold the full registered amount.
First Advantage is a global software and data company providing AI-powered identity, background screening, and continuous risk monitoring solutions, conducting over 200 million screens annually across more than 200 countries and territories. The company reports a gross customer retention rate of approximately 96% and an average tenure of over 13 years for its top 100 customers.
Positive
- None.
Negative
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Key Figures
Key Terms
shelf registration process regulatory
selling stockholder financial
United States real property holding corporation regulatory
branch profits tax financial
classified board of directors regulatory
automatic shelf registration regulatory
Offering Details
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
FAQ
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Table of Contents
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 10, 2026
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
First Advantage Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 7374 | 84-3884690 | ||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
1 Concourse Parkway NE, Suite 200
Atlanta, Georgia 30328
(678) 868-4151
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Bret T. Jardine
Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
First Advantage Corporation
1 Concourse Parkway NE, Suite 200
Atlanta, Georgia 30328
(678) 868-4151
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s agent for service)
With copies to:
Kenneth B. Wallach, Esq.
Xiaohui (Hui) Lin, Esq.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
425 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10017
(212) 455-2000
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box: ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☒ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
| Non-accelerated filer | ☐ | Smaller reporting company | ☐ | |||
| Emerging growth company | ☐ | |||||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
Table of Contents
87,450,000 Shares
Prospectus
FIRST ADVANTAGE CORPORATION
Common Stock
This prospectus relates to the offer and sale from time to time of up to 87,450,000 shares of First Advantage Corporation common stock, par value $0.001 per share, by the selling stockholder identified in this prospectus or in supplements to this prospectus. See “Selling Stockholder.” The registration of the shares of common stock to which this prospectus relates does not require the selling stockholder to sell any of its shares of our common stock.
We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of our common stock by the selling stockholder, but we have agreed to pay certain registration expenses, other than underwriting discounts and commissions. The selling stockholder may from time to time offer and sell the shares held by it directly or through underwriters, agents or broker-dealers on terms to be determined at the time of sale, as described in more detail in this prospectus. For more information, see “Plan of Distribution.”
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (“Nasdaq”), under the symbol “FA.” On August 7, 2026, the closing sales price of our common stock as reported on Nasdaq was $24.01 per share.
Investing in our common stock involves risks. Before making a decision to invest in our common stock, you should refer to the risk factors included in our periodic reports, in any applicable prospectus supplements relating to specific offerings and in other information that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) that are incorporated by reference herein or therein. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 7 of this prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is August 10, 2026
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page | ||||
| INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA |
iii | |||
| TRADEMARKS, SERVICE MARKS, AND TRADENAMES |
iv | |||
| PROSPECTUS SUMMARY |
1 | |||
| RISK FACTORS |
7 | |||
| FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS |
8 | |||
| USE OF PROCEEDS |
11 | |||
| SELLING STOCKHOLDER |
12 | |||
| DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK |
13 | |||
| CERTAIN UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO NON-U.S. HOLDERS |
21 | |||
| PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION |
24 | |||
| LEGAL MATTERS |
26 | |||
| EXPERTS |
26 | |||
| WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION |
27 | |||
| INFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE |
28 | |||
You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any amendment or supplement to this prospectus, or any free writing prospectus we may authorize to be delivered or made available to you. Neither we nor the selling stockholder or the underwriters, if any, have authorized anyone to provide you with information or to make any representations different from those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any amendment or supplement to this prospectus, or any free writing prospectus prepared by us or on our behalf. Neither we nor the selling stockholder or the underwriters, if any, take any responsibility for, or can provide any assurance as to the reliability of, any information other than the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any amendment or supplement to this prospectus, or any free writing prospectus prepared by us or on our behalf. This prospectus, any amendment or supplement to this prospectus, or any applicable free writing prospectus is an offer to sell only the shares of common stock offered hereby from time to time, but only under circumstances where it is lawful to do so. The selling stockholder is not offering to sell shares of our common stock in any jurisdiction where an offer or sale is not permitted. The information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus, any amendment or supplement to this prospectus, or any applicable free writing prospectus, as the case may be, or any sale of shares of our common stock. Our business, results of operations, and financial condition may have changed since such date.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we have filed with the SEC using a “shelf” registration process. Under the shelf registration process, the selling stockholder may, from time to time, offer and sell the shares of common stock described in this prospectus and in any accompanying prospectus supplement in one or more transactions. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the shares of common stock the selling stockholder may offer. Each time the selling stockholder sells shares of our common stock using this prospectus, to the extent necessary, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering, including the number of shares being offered, the manner of distribution, the identity of any underwriters or other counterparties, and other specific terms related to the offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to these offerings. The prospectus supplement may also add, update, or change information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. To the extent that any statement made in an accompanying prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus is inconsistent with statements made in this prospectus, the statements made in this prospectus will be deemed modified or superseded by those made in the accompanying prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, as the case may be. You should read both this
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prospectus and any prospectus supplement together, along with the information incorporated by reference herein or therein and any free writing prospectus prepared by us or on our behalf.
For investors outside of the United States, neither we nor the selling stockholder or the underwriters, if any, have done anything that would permit an offering of shares of our common stock or the possession or distribution of this prospectus, any amendment or supplement to this prospectus, or any applicable free writing prospectus, in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. You are required to inform yourselves about and to observe any restrictions relating to an offering of shares of common stock and the possession or distribution of this prospectus, any amendment or supplement to this prospectus, or any applicable free writing prospectus outside of the United States.
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INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA
This prospectus incorporates by reference, and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may contain information and statistics that we have obtained from various independent third- party sources, including independent industry publications, reports by market research firms, and other independent sources. Certain data and other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or applicable free writing prospectus, including information with respect to our market position, are also based on management’s estimates and calculations, which are derived from our review and interpretation of internal surveys and third-party sources. Data regarding the industries in which we compete and our market position and market share within these industries are inherently imprecise, require the making of certain assumptions and are subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties beyond our control, but we believe they generally indicate size, position and market share within these industries. Statements regarding the Company’s leading position are based on market share as calculated by revenue. While we believe such information is reliable, we have not independently verified any third-party information and our internal data has not been verified by any independent source. While we believe our internal company research and estimates are reliable, such research and estimates have not been verified by any independent source. In addition, assumptions and estimates of our and our industry’s future performance are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in “Risk Factors” in this prospectus, and under similar headings in other documents that are incorporated by reference herein. These and other factors could cause our future performance to differ materially from our assumptions and estimates. See “Forward-Looking Statements.” As a result, you should be aware that market, ranking, and other similar industry data included in this prospectus, and estimates and beliefs based on that data may not be reliable. None of us, the selling stockholder and any underwriters can guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any such information contained in this prospectus.
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TRADEMARKS, SERVICE MARKS, AND TRADENAMES
We own a number of registered and common law trademarks and pending applications for trademark registrations in the United States and other countries, including, for example: First Advantage, Profile Advantage, Enterprise Advantage, Insight Advantage, Verified!, Roadready, Sterling, Corporate Screening, among others. Unless otherwise indicated, all trademarks, tradenames, and service marks appearing in this prospectus or incorporated by reference herein are proprietary to us, our affiliates, and/or licensors. This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein also contain trademarks, tradenames, and service marks of other companies, which are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, tradenames, and service marks referred to in this prospectus and in the information incorporated by reference herein may appear without the ® and symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensors to these trademarks, tradenames, and service marks. We do not intend our use or display of other parties’ trademarks, tradenames, or service marks to imply, and such use or display should not be construed to imply, a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, these other parties.
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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before deciding to invest in our common stock. You should read the entire prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement, and the documents incorporated herein or therein carefully, including “Risk Factors” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes incorporated by reference into this prospectus, before making an investment decision. This summary contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus to the “Company,” “First Advantage,” “we,” “us,” and “our” means the business of First Advantage Corporation and its subsidiaries.
Our Company
First Advantage Corporation (“First Advantage” or the “Company”) is a global software and data company. We provide comprehensive, end-to-end identity solutions, criminal background screening, credential verifications, drug and health screening, and continuous risk monitoring. Combining AI-powered proprietary technology platforms with proprietary data, primary source data, and third-party data, we help organizations hire with confidence and manage risk across the entire employee lifecycle.
We transform screening data into actionable intelligence—with benchmarking, insights, and continuous monitoring that help organizations make smarter workforce decisions.
With over 80,000 customers worldwide—including approximately two-thirds of the Fortune 100—we deliver fast, comprehensive, and reliable identity verification, screening, and monitoring solutions for employers, their candidates, and their employees. We conduct more than 200 million screens annually across over 200 countries and territories, supported by decades of experience and proprietary databases containing over 1 billion records.
Identity, trust, and the way people work are shifting faster than ever. Organizations face unprecedented challenges: generative artificial intelligence (“AI”) and deepfake enabled identity-fraud, increasing regulatory complexity, borderless, distributed workforces, gig-based employment models, high churn and rapid role-switching, hybrid hiring, and social media risks. In this environment, identity can no longer be verified once; it must be actively understood, verified at multiple points in the employee lifecycle, and intelligently managed. First Advantage is well positioned to be a leader in this transformation, advancing the industry from fragmented, point-in-time checks to regular and persistent identity and background checks across the full employee lifecycle.
Our expertise and resources position us to grow market share by focusing on strategic industries and companies, increasing our share with existing customers, upselling and cross-selling products and solutions, and winning new customers. We engage multiple stakeholders within customer organizations, including Executive Management, Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, Compliance, Risk, Legal, Safety, and Vendor Management, who rely on our products and solutions.
Our verticalized go-to-market strategy delivers highly relevant products and solutions for targeted industry sectors, enabling us to build a diversified customer portfolio and effectively serve many of the largest, most sophisticated, and fastest-growing companies in the world. We have built a powerful, efficient customer-centric sales model, fueled by frequent customer engagement and deep subject-matter expertise in industry-specific compliance and regulatory requirements, which enables us to create meaningful, scalable products and solutions and drive consistent new business, upsell and cross-sell opportunities.
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The combination of our deep market expertise from our sales and support teams with the flexibility of our proprietary technology platforms enables us to deliver industry-relevant, highly specialized solutions to our customers in a scalable manner, driving growth and differentiating us from our competitors. This has allowed us to develop a highly trusted brand and long-standing relationships with our customers, as evidenced by our high customer satisfaction scores, average over 13-year tenure of our top 100 customers, and gross retention rate of approximately 96% as of December 31, 2025.
Our technology is highly configurable, scalable, and extensible, integrating with more than 100 third-party Human Capital Management (“HCM”) software platforms and Applicant Tracking Systems (“ATS”) to provide visibility and input into our customers’ human resources processes which informs our development of products and services for them. Our AI-powered platforms deliver automated process outputs including anomaly detection, analytical insights, and continuous monitoring reports, transforming screening data into actionable insights and benchmarking capabilities. We leverage our proprietary internal databases, which include over 1 billion US criminal, education, and work history records as of December 31, 2025, and an extensive, highly curated network of thousands of automated, integrated primary source and third-party data providers. With approximately 90% of U.S. criminal record screenings completed in one day, we deliver fast turnaround times without sacrificing quality or compliance.
We remain focused on leveraging our deep industry expertise with advanced technologies to deliver comprehensive identity solutions, while driving exceptional customer value through continuous product innovation. Our roadmap is defined by perpetual evolution: introducing frequent updates and new features that anticipate and respond to customer needs and industry trends. Recent advancements include digital biometric identity verification with liveness detection, synthetic identity and deepfake detection, continuous criminal monitoring, mobile-first AI-enabled candidate experiences, AI-powered employment verifications (SmartHub), continuous driver monitoring (RoadReady), and instant oral drug testing. We combine cutting-edge technology with deep human insight to help organizations navigate an increasingly complex landscape. We are defining the future of identity at work and delivering the data, technology, and innovation that enable organizations to hire with confidence and manage risk at scale.
Risks Related to Our Business and this Offering
Investing in our stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described in “Risk Factors” elsewhere in this prospectus, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 (“Annual Report on Form 10-K”), and our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which are incorporated by reference herein, before making a decision to invest in our common stock. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, results of operations, and financial condition may be materially adversely affected. In such case, the trading price of our common stock may decline and you may lose part or all of your investment. Below is a summary of some of the principal risks we face:
| | Macroeconomic factors beyond our control, including the state of the economy, could impact demand and the fulfillment costs for our products and solutions. |
| | We operate in a highly regulated industry and are subject to numerous and evolving laws and regulations. |
| | Continued scrutiny of collection, use, and processing of personal data and data security could lead to increased restrictions, loss of revenue opportunity, greater costs of compliance, and lost efficiency. |
| | We may not be able to identify and successfully implement our growth strategies on a timely basis or at all. |
| | Social, ethical, and legal issues relating to the use of new and evolving technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, in our offerings may result in reputational harm and liability. |
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| | Any damage to our reputation or our brand could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. |
| | To the extent our customers reduce their operations, downsize their screening programs, or otherwise demand fewer of our products and solutions, our business could be adversely impacted. |
| | We operate in a penetrated and competitive market. |
| | We rely on third-party data and service providers. If they are unable to deliver or perform as expected, our ability to operate effectively may be impaired, and our business may be materially and adversely affected. |
| | Sales to government entities and higher-tier contractors to governmental customers involve unique competitive, procurement, budget, administrative and contractual risks, any of which could materially adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. |
| | Due to the sensitive and privacy-driven nature of our products and solutions, we could face liability and legal or regulatory proceedings, which could be costly and time-consuming to defend and may not be fully covered by insurance. |
| | Our business, brand, and reputation may be harmed as a result of security breaches, cyber-attacks, employee or other internal misconduct, computer viruses, or the mishandling of personal data. |
| | Our international business exposes us to a number of risks. |
| | Real or perceived errors, failures, or bugs in our products could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, and growth prospects. |
| | Failure to realize the expected benefits of our acquisition of Sterling Check Corp. (“Sterling”) could adversely affect our business and the value of our common stock. |
| | We may not be able to identify attractive acquisition targets and strategic partnerships or successfully complete such transactions. |
| | Failure to comply with anti-corruption, economic and trade sanctions, and anti-money laundering laws and regulations could have an adverse effect on our business. |
| | Disruptions at our Operation Centers of Excellence and other operational sites could adversely impact our business. |
| | We are not guaranteed exclusivity or volumes in all of our contracts with our customers and our customers may experience major business changes that impact our current or future revenue streams. |
| | Disruptions with our technology and network infrastructure, including our data centers, servers, and third-party cloud and internet providers, and our migration to the cloud, could have an adverse impact on our business. |
| | If we fail to continue to integrate our platforms and solutions with that of human resource software providers or if our relationships with human resource software providers deteriorate, our business could be adversely affected. |
| | We are subject to risks relating to public opinion, which may be magnified by incidents or adverse publicity concerning our industry or operations. |
| | We rely on third-party vendors to carry out certain portions of our operations. If they cannot deliver or perform as expected or if our relationships with them are terminated or otherwise change, our business operations and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. |
| | Our continued success depends in large part on the service of our key executives and our ability to find and retain qualified employees. |
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| | If we are unable to obtain, maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property and other proprietary information, or if we infringe, misappropriate or violate the intellectual property rights of others, the value of our brands and other intangible assets may be diminished, and our business may be adversely affected. |
| | If we are unable to maintain, protect and enforce the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed. |
| | The use of open-source software in our applications may expose us to additional risks and harm our intellectual property rights. |
| | Seasonality may cause our operating results to fluctuate from quarter to quarter. |
| | Our failure to comply with the agreements relating to our outstanding indebtedness, including as a result of events beyond our control, could result in an event of default that could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. |
| | Silver Lake controls us and its interests may conflict with yours in the future. |
| | Our stock price may be highly volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance, and you may not be able to resell shares of our common stock at or above the price you paid or at all, and you could lose all or part of your investment as a result. |
| | We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future. |
| | The interpretation of tax laws may have a material adverse effect on our business. |
| | Our implementation cycles can be lengthy and variable, depend upon factors outside our control, and could cause us unexpected delays in generating revenues or result in lower than anticipated revenues. |
| | Our indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry, and prevent us from meeting our obligations. |
| | We will require a significant amount of cash to service our debt, and our ability to generate cash depends on many factors beyond our control, and any failure to meet our debt service obligations could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. |
| | Our debt instruments restrict our current and future operations, particularly our ability to respond to changes or take certain actions. |
| | First Advantage Corporation is a holding company with no operations of its own and, as such, it depends on its subsidiaries for cash to fund all of its operations and expenses, including future dividend payments, if any. |
Our Sponsor
Silver Lake (“Silver Lake” or the “Sponsor”) is a global technology investment firm, with more than $110 billion in combined assets under management and committed capital and a team of professionals based in North America, Europe and Asia. Silver Lake’s portfolio companies collectively generate approximately $307 billion of revenue annually and employ approximately 433,000 people globally.
Our Corporate Information
Our common stock began trading on Nasdaq under the symbol “FA” on June 23, 2021 and we consummated the IPO on June 25, 2021.
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We began our operations in 2003. First Advantage Corporation was incorporated in Delaware on November 15, 2019 in connection with the Silver Lake Transaction. Our principal offices are located at 1 Concourse Parkway NE, Suite 200, Atlanta, Georgia 30328. Our telephone number is (678) 868-4151. We maintain a website at www.fadv.com. The reference to our website is intended to be an inactive textual reference only. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of this prospectus.
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The Offering
| Issuer |
First Advantage Corporation |
| Common stock offered by the selling stockholder |
Up to 87,450,000 shares |
| Common stock outstanding |
171,753,691 shares as of July 31, 2026. |
| Use of proceeds |
We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock offered from time to time pursuant to this prospectus. The selling stockholder will receive all of the net proceeds of the sale of shares of common stock offered from time to time pursuant to this prospectus and bear all commissions and discounts from the sale of our common stock by the selling stockholder. See “Principal and Selling Stockholder.” |
| Risk factors |
Investing in shares of our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before making a decision to invest in our common stock, you should refer to the risk factors contained in or incorporated by reference under “Risk Factors” on page 7 of this prospectus and under similar headings in other documents that are incorporated by reference herein. |
| Trading symbol |
“FA” |
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RISK FACTORS
Investing in our common stock involves risks. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which are incorporated by reference herein, as the same may be updated from time to time by our subsequent filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). You should also carefully consider the other information contained in this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, and the risk factors and other information contained in any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, before acquiring any shares of our common stock. These risks reflect our beliefs and opinions as to factors that could materially affect our business, results of operations, or financial condition, and cause the value of our common stock to decline, and are not the only risks and uncertainties facing us or related to an investment in our Company. The occurrence of any of the events described below could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may impair our financial condition and business operations. References to past events are provided only as an example and are not intended to be a complete representation as to whether such factors have occurred in the past or their likelihood of occurring in the future. You should also carefully review the cautionary statements referred to under the section titled “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus includes and incorporates by reference forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, our operations and financial performance. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements are included in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus and relate to matters such as our industry, business strategy, goals and expectations concerning our market position, future operations, margins, profitability, capital expenditures, liquidity and capital resources and other financial and operating information. In some cases, you can identify these forward- looking statements by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “future,” “will,” “seek,” “foreseeable,” the negative version of these words, or similar terms and phrases.
These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties, assumptions or changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict or quantify. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following:
| | Macroeconomic factors beyond our control, including the state of the economy, could impact demand and the fulfillment costs for our products and solutions. |
| | We operate in a highly regulated industry and are subject to numerous and evolving laws and regulations. |
| | Continued scrutiny of collection, use, and processing of personal data and data security could lead to increased restrictions, loss of revenue opportunity, greater costs of compliance, and lost efficiency. |
| | We may not be able to identify and successfully implement our growth strategies on a timely basis or at all. |
| | Social, ethical, and legal issues relating to the use of new and evolving technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, in our offerings may result in reputational harm and liability. |
| | Any damage to our reputation or our brand could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. |
| | To the extent our customers reduce their operations, downsize their screening programs, or otherwise demand fewer of our products and solutions, our business could be adversely impacted. |
| | We operate in a penetrated and competitive market. |
| | We rely on third-party data and service providers. If they are unable to deliver or perform as expected, our ability to operate effectively may be impaired, and our business may be materially and adversely affected. |
| | Sales to government entities and higher-tier contractors to governmental customers involve unique competitive, procurement, budget, administrative and contractual risks, any of which could materially adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. |
| | Due to the sensitive and privacy-driven nature of our products and solutions, we could face liability and legal or regulatory proceedings, which could be costly and time-consuming to defend and may not be fully covered by insurance. |
| | Our business, brand, and reputation may be harmed as a result of security breaches, cyber-attacks, employee or other internal misconduct, computer viruses, or the mishandling of personal data. |
| | Our international business exposes us to a number of risks. |
| | Real or perceived errors, failures, or bugs in our products could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, and growth prospects. |
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| | Failure to realize the expected benefits of our acquisition of Sterling Check Corp. (“Sterling”) could adversely affect our business and the value of our common stock. |
| | We may not be able to identify attractive acquisition targets and strategic partnerships or successfully complete such transactions. |
| | Failure to comply with anti-corruption, economic and trade sanctions, and anti-money laundering laws and regulations could have an adverse effect on our business. |
| | Disruptions at our Operation Centers of Excellence and other operational sites could adversely impact our business. |
| | We are not guaranteed exclusivity or volumes in all of our contracts with our customers and our customers may experience major business changes that impact our current or future revenue streams. |
| | Disruptions with our technology and network infrastructure, including our data centers, servers, and third-party cloud and internet providers, and our migration to the cloud, could have an adverse impact on our business. |
| | If we fail to continue to integrate our platforms and solutions with that of human resource software providers or if our relationships with human resource software providers deteriorate, our business could be adversely affected. |
| | We are subject to risks relating to public opinion, which may be magnified by incidents or adverse publicity concerning our industry or operations. |
| | We rely on third-party vendors to carry out certain portions of our operations. If they cannot deliver or perform as expected or if our relationships with them are terminated or otherwise change, our business operations and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. |
| | Our continued success depends in large part on the service of our key executives and our ability to find and retain qualified employees. |
| | If we are unable to obtain, maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property and other proprietary information, or if we infringe, misappropriate or violate the intellectual property rights of others, the value of our brands and other intangible assets may be diminished, and our business may be adversely affected. |
| | If we are unable to maintain, protect and enforce the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed. |
| | The use of open-source software in our applications may expose us to additional risks and harm our intellectual property rights. |
| | Seasonality may cause our operating results to fluctuate from quarter to quarter. |
| | Our failure to comply with the agreements relating to our outstanding indebtedness, including as a result of events beyond our control, could result in an event of default that could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. |
| | Silver Lake controls us and its interests may conflict with yours in the future. |
| | Our stock price may be highly volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance, and you may not be able to resell shares of our common stock at or above the price you paid or at all, and you could lose all or part of your investment as a result. |
| | We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future. |
| | The timing, manner and volume of repurchases of common stock pursuant to our share repurchase program. |
| | The interpretation of tax laws may have a material adverse effect on our business. |
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| | Our implementation cycles can be lengthy and variable, depend upon factors outside our control, and could cause us unexpected delays in generating revenues or result in lower than anticipated revenues. |
| | Our indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry, and prevent us from meeting our obligations. |
| | We will require a significant amount of cash to service our debt, and our ability to generate cash depends on many factors beyond our control, and any failure to meet our debt service obligations could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. |
| | Our debt instruments restrict our current and future operations, particularly our ability to respond to changes or take certain actions. |
| | First Advantage Corporation is a holding company with no operations of its own and, as such, it depends on its subsidiaries for cash to fund all of its operations and expenses, including future dividend payments, if any. |
| | Other factors disclosed or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. |
These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements.
Any forward-looking statements made by us in this prospectus or incorporated by reference herein speaks only as of the date of this prospectus or the document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference herein and are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements included in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward- looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Our forward- looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures, investments or other strategic transactions we may make. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.
Investors and others should note that we routinely announce financial and other material information using our Investor Relations website (investors.fadv.com), SEC filings, press releases, public conference calls, and webcasts. We use these channels of distribution to communicate with our investors and members of the public about our company, our services, and other items of interest. Information contained on our website is not part of this prospectus or our other filings with the SEC.
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USE OF PROCEEDS
The selling stockholder will receive all of the net proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock offered from time to time pursuant to this prospectus. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares being sold from time to time pursuant to this prospectus. The selling stockholder will bear the underwriting commissions and discounts attributable to its sale of our common stock, and expenses incurred by the selling stockholder for brokerage, accounting, tax services, or any other expenses incurred by the selling stockholder, except we will bear the fees and expenses of one counsel for the selling stockholder. We will bear all other costs, fees, and expenses incurred in effecting the registration of the shares covered by this prospectus, including, without limitation, all registration and filing fees, and fees and expenses of our counsel and one counsel for the selling stockholder and our independent registered public accountants.
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SELLING STOCKHOLDER
This prospectus covers 87,450,000 shares of our common stock that may be offered for resale by the selling stockholder. For more information about our relationship with the selling stockholder and its affiliates, see the section entitled “Transactions Related to Directors, Equity Holders, and Executive Officers” in our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on April 24, 2026, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The following table contains information about the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of July 31, 2026, with respect to the selling stockholder and the shares of our common stock beneficially owned by the selling stockholder that may from time to time be offered or sold pursuant to this prospectus. Beneficial ownership and percentage ownership are determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. Under SEC rules, a person is deemed to be a “beneficial owner” of a security if that person has or shares voting power or investment power, which includes the power to dispose of or to direct the disposition of such security. A person is also deemed to be a beneficial owner of any securities of which that person has a right to acquire beneficial ownership within 60 days. Securities that can be so acquired are deemed to be outstanding for purposes of computing such person’s ownership percentage, but not for purposes of computing any other person’s percentage. Under these rules, more than one person may be deemed to be a beneficial owner of the same securities and a person may be deemed to be a beneficial owner of securities as to which such person has no economic interest. Except as indicated in the footnotes to the following table or pursuant to applicable community property laws, we believe, based on information furnished to us, that each stockholder named in the table has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares set forth opposite such stockholder’s name.
Information concerning the selling stockholder may change from time to time, and any such changed information will be set forth in supplements to this prospectus or a post-effective amendment to the registration statement to which this prospectus is a part, as may be appropriate. The selling stockholder may offer all, some or none of its shares of common stock. We cannot advise you as to whether the selling stockholder will in fact sell any or all of such shares of common stock. In addition, the selling stockholder may have sold or transferred, in transactions pursuant to this prospectus or otherwise, some or all of its shares since the date as of which the information is presented in the table below.
Our calculation of the percentage of beneficial ownership prior to and after the offering is based on 171,753,691 shares of common stock outstanding as of July 31, 2026.
| Shares of Common Stock Beneficially Owned |
Shares of Common Stock that May be Offered for Resale |
Shares of Common Stock Beneficially Owned After the Sale of the Maximum Number of Shares of Common Stock |
||||||||||||||||||
| Name |
Number of Shares |
Percent of Common Stock Outstanding |
Number of Shares | Percent of Common Stock Outstanding |
||||||||||||||||
| SLP Fastball Aggregator, L.P.(1) |
89,557,840 | 52.1 | % | 87,450,000 | 2,107,840 | 1.23 | % | |||||||||||||
| (1) | Represents shares held of record by SLP Fastball Aggregator, L.P. SLP V Aggregator GP, L.L.C. is the general partner of SLP Fastball Aggregator, L.P. Silver Lake Technology Associates V, L.P. is the managing member of SLP V Aggregator GP, L.L.C. SLTA V (GP), L.L.C. is the general partner of Silver Lake Technology Associates V, L.P. Silver Lake Group, L.L.C., is the managing member of SLTA V (GP), L.L.C. The managing members of Silver Lake Group, L.L.C. are Egon Durban, Kenneth Hao, Christian Lucas, Gregory Mondre, Joseph Osnoss, and Lee Wittlinger. The principal business address for each of the entities identified in this paragraph is c/o Silver Lake Group, L.L.C., 2775 Sand Hill Road, Suite 100 Menlo Park, CA 94025. |
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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK
The following is a description of the material terms of, and is qualified in its entirety by, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
Our purpose is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may now or hereafter be organized under the DGCL. Our authorized capital stock consists of 1,000,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 250,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share. No shares of preferred stock are outstanding and no shares of preferred stock will be issued or outstanding immediately after the offering contemplated by this prospectus. Unless our board of directors determines otherwise, we will issue all shares of our capital stock in uncertificated form.
Common Stock
Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters on which stockholders are entitled to vote generally, including the election or removal of directors, subject to certain limitations. The holders of our common stock do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of directors. Upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up and after payment in full of all amounts required to be paid to creditors and to the holders of preferred stock having liquidation preferences, if any, the holders of our common stock will be entitled to receive our remaining assets available for distribution on a pro rata basis. Holders of our common stock do not have preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights. The common stock will not be subject to further calls or assessment by us. There will be no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock. All shares of our common stock that will be outstanding at the time of the completion of the offering will be fully paid and non-assessable. The rights, powers, preferences and privileges of holders of our common stock will be subject to those of the holders of any shares of our preferred stock we may authorize and issue in the future.
Preferred Stock
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes our board of directors to establish one or more series of preferred stock (including convertible preferred stock). Unless required by law or by Nasdaq, the authorized shares of preferred stock are available for issuance without further action by you. Our board of directors will be able to determine, with respect to any series of preferred stock, the terms and rights of that series, including:
| 1) | the designation of the series; |
| 2) | the number of shares of the series, which our board of directors may, except where otherwise provided in the preferred stock designation, increase (but not above the total number of authorized shares of the class) or decrease (but not below the number of shares then outstanding); |
| 3) | whether dividends, if any, will be cumulative or non-cumulative and the dividend rate of the series; |
| 4) | the dates at which dividends, if any, will be payable; |
| 5) | the redemption rights and price or prices, if any, for shares of the series; |
| 6) | the terms and amounts of any sinking fund provided for the purchase or redemption of shares of the series; |
| 7) | the amounts payable on shares of the series in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the affairs of the Company; |
| 8) | whether the shares of the series will be convertible into shares of any other class or series, or any other security, of the Company or any other corporation and, if so, the specification of the other class or |
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series or other security, the conversion price or prices or rate or rates, any rate adjustments, the date or dates as of which the shares will be convertible and all other terms and conditions upon which the conversion may be made;
| 9) | restrictions on the issuance of shares of the same series or of any other class or series; and |
| 10) | the voting rights, if any, of the holders of the series. |
We may issue a series of preferred stock that could, depending on the terms of the series, impede or discourage an acquisition attempt or other transaction that some, or a majority, of the holders of our common stock might believe to be in their best interests or in which the holders of our common stock might receive a premium for their common stock over the market price of the common stock. In addition, the issuance of preferred stock may adversely affect the holders of our common stock by restricting dividends on the common stock, diluting the voting power of the common stock or subordinating the liquidation rights of the common stock. As a result of these or other factors, the issuance of preferred stock may have an adverse impact on the market price of our common stock.
Dividends
The DGCL permits a corporation to declare and pay dividends out of “surplus” or, if there is no “surplus,” out of its net profits for the fiscal year in which the dividend is declared and/or the preceding fiscal year. “Surplus” is defined as the excess of the net assets of the corporation over the amount determined to be the capital of the corporation by the board of directors. The capital of the corporation is typically calculated to be (and cannot be less than) the aggregate par value of all issued shares of capital stock. Net assets equal the fair value of the total assets minus total liabilities. The DGCL also provides that dividends may not be paid out of net profits if, after the payment of the dividend, capital is less than the capital represented by the outstanding stock of all classes having a preference upon the distribution of assets.
Declaration and payment of any dividend will be subject to the discretion of our board of directors. The time and amount of dividends will be dependent upon our financial condition, operations, cash requirements and availability, debt repayment obligations, capital expenditure needs and restrictions in our debt instruments, industry trends, the provisions of Delaware law affecting the payment of dividends to stockholders and any other factors our board of directors may consider relevant.
Anti-Takeover Effects of Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws and Certain Provisions of Delaware Law
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws, and the DGCL, which are summarized in the following paragraphs, contain provisions that are intended to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of our board of directors. These provisions are intended to avoid costly takeover battles, reduce our vulnerability to a hostile change of control and enhance the ability of our board of directors to maximize stockholder value in connection with any unsolicited offer to acquire us. However, these provisions may have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, deter or prevent a merger or acquisition of the Company by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or other takeover attempt that a stockholder might consider is in its best interest, including those attempts that might result in a premium over the prevailing market price for the shares of common stock held by stockholders.
Authorized but Unissued Capital Stock
Delaware law does not require stockholder approval for any issuance of authorized shares. However, the listing requirements of Nasdaq, which would apply if and so long as our common stock remains listed on Nasdaq, require stockholder approval of certain issuances equal to or exceeding 20% of the then-outstanding voting power or then-outstanding number of shares of common stock. These additional shares may be used for a
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variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings to raise additional capital or to facilitate acquisitions.
Our board of directors may issue shares of preferred stock on terms calculated to discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of the Company or the removal of our management. Moreover, our authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock will be available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions or employee benefit plans.
One of the effects of the existence of unissued and unreserved common stock or preferred stock may be to enable our board of directors to issue shares to persons friendly to current management, which issuance could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of the Company by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise, and thereby protect the continuity of our management and possibly deprive our stockholders of opportunities to sell their shares of common stock at prices higher than prevailing market prices.
Classified Board of Directors
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our board of directors be divided into three classes of directors, with the classes to be as nearly equal in number as possible, and with the directors serving three-year terms. As a result, approximately one-third of our board of directors is elected each year. The classification of directors has the effect of making it more difficult for stockholders to change the composition of our board of directors. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that, subject to any rights of holders of preferred stock to elect additional directors under specified circumstances, the number of directors will be fixed from time to time exclusively pursuant to a resolution adopted by the board of directors.
Business Combinations
We have opted out of Section 203 of the DGCL; however, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains similar provisions providing that we may not engage in certain “business combinations” with any “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:
| | prior to such time, our board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; |
| | upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding certain shares; or |
| | at or subsequent to that time, the business combination is approved by our board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of holders of at least 66 2⁄3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder. |
Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. Subject to certain exceptions, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with that person’s affiliates and associates, owns, or within the previous three years owned, 15% or more of our voting stock. For purposes of this section only, “voting stock” has the meaning given to it in Section 203 of the DGCL.
Under certain circumstances, this provision makes it more difficult for a person who would be an “interested stockholder” to effect various business combinations with a corporation for a three-year period. This provision
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may encourage companies interested in acquiring the Company to negotiate in advance with our board of directors because the stockholder approval requirement would be avoided if our board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction which results in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder. These provisions also may have the effect of preventing changes in our board of directors and may make it more difficult to accomplish transactions which stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Sponsor and its affiliates and any of their respective direct or indirect transferees and any group as to which such persons are a party do not constitute “interested stockholders” for purposes of this provision.
Removal of Directors; Vacancies
Under the DGCL, unless otherwise provided in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, directors serving on a classified board may be removed by the stockholders only for cause. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that directors may be removed with or without cause upon the affirmative vote of a majority in voting power of all outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class; provided, however, at any time when the Sponsor and its affiliates beneficially own, in the aggregate, less than 50% of the voting power of then outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, directors may only be removed for cause and only by the affirmative vote of holders of at least 66 2⁄3% in voting power of all the then-outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class.
In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws also provide that, subject to the rights granted to one or more series of preferred stock then outstanding or the rights granted to the Sponsor under the stockholders’ agreement, any vacancies on our board of directors will be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors, even if less than a quorum, by a sole remaining director or by the stockholders; provided, however, at any time when the Sponsor and its affiliates beneficially own, in the aggregate, less than 50% of the voting power of then outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, any newly created directorship on the board of directors that results from an increase in the number of directors and any vacancy occurring on the board of directors may only be filled by a majority of the directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director (and not by the stockholders).
No Cumulative Voting
Under Delaware law, the right to vote cumulatively does not exist unless the certificate of incorporation specifically authorizes cumulative voting. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not authorize cumulative voting. Therefore, stockholders holding a majority in voting power of the shares of our stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors are able to elect all our directors.
Special Stockholder Meetings
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that special meetings of our stockholders may be called at any time only by or at the direction of the board of directors or the chairman of the board of directors; provided, however, that the Sponsor and its affiliates are permitted to call special meetings of our stockholders for so long as they hold, in the aggregate, at least 50% of the voting power of then outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors. In addition, the notice procedures with respect to special stockholder meetings do not apply to our Sponsor while the stockholders’ agreement is in effect. Our amended and restated bylaws prohibit the conduct of any business at a special meeting other than as specified in the notice for such meeting. These provisions may have the effect of deferring, delaying or discouraging hostile takeovers, or changes in control or management of the Company.
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Requirements for Advance Notification of Director Nominations and Stockholder Proposals
Our amended and restated bylaws establishes advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals and the nomination of candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made as provided in the stockholders’ agreement nor by or at the direction of the board of directors or a committee of the board of directors. In order for any matter to be “properly brought” before a meeting, a stockholder has to comply with advance notice requirements and provide us with certain information. Generally, to be timely, a stockholder’s notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders. Our amended and restated bylaws also specifies requirements as to the form and content of a stockholder’s notice. Our amended and restated bylaws allows the chairman of the meeting at a meeting of the stockholders to adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of meetings which may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the rules and regulations are not followed. These notice requirements do not apply to the Sponsor and its affiliates for as long as the stockholders’ agreement remains in effect. These provisions may defer, delay or discourage a potential acquiror from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquiror’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to influence or obtain control of the Company.
Stockholder Action by Written Consent
Pursuant to Section 228 of the DGCL, any action required to be taken at any annual or special meeting of the stockholders may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, is signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of our stock entitled to vote thereon were present and voted, unless our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation precludes stockholder action by written consent once the Sponsor and its affiliates beneficially own, in the aggregate, less than 50% of the voting power of all outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors; provided, however, that any action required or permitted to be taken by the holders of preferred stock, voting separately as a series or separately as a class with one or more other such series, may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, to the extent expressly so provided by the applicable certificate of designation relating to such series of preferred stock.
Supermajority Provisions
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that the board of directors is expressly authorized to make, alter, amend, rescind or repeal, in whole or in part, our amended and restated bylaws without a stockholder vote in any matter not inconsistent with the laws of the State of Delaware or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. For as long as the Sponsor and its affiliates beneficially own, in the aggregate, at least 50% of the voting power of then outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, any amendment, alteration, rescission or repeal of our amended and restated bylaws by our stockholders will require the affirmative vote of a majority in voting power of the outstanding shares of our stock entitled to vote on such amendment, alteration, change, addition, rescission or repeal and voting together as a single class. At any time when the Sponsor and its affiliates beneficially own, in the aggregate, less than 50% of the voting power of all outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, any amendment, alteration, rescission or repeal of our amended and restated bylaws by our stockholders will require the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2⁄3% in voting power of all the then-outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class.
The DGCL provides generally that the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class, is required to amend a corporation’s certificate of incorporation, unless the certificate of incorporation requires a greater percentage.
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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that once the Sponsor and its affiliates beneficially own, in the aggregate, less than 50% of the voting power of all outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, the following provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended, altered, repealed or rescinded only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2⁄3% in the voting power of all outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class:
| | the provision requiring a 66 2⁄3% supermajority vote for stockholders to amend our amended and restated bylaws; |
| | the provisions providing for a classified board of directors (the election and term of our directors); |
| | the provisions regarding resignation and removal of directors; |
| | the provisions regarding competition and corporate opportunities; |
| | the provisions regarding entering into business combinations with interested stockholders; |
| | the provisions regarding stockholder action by written consent; |
| | the provisions regarding calling special meetings of stockholders; |
| | the provisions regarding filling vacancies on our board of directors and newly created directorships; |
| | the provisions eliminating monetary damages for breaches of fiduciary duty by a director; and |
| | the amendment provision requiring that the above provisions be amended only with a 66 2⁄3% supermajority vote. |
The combination of the classification of our board of directors, the lack of cumulative voting and the supermajority voting requirements makes it more difficult for our existing stockholders to replace our board of directors as well as for another party to obtain control of us by replacing our board of directors. Because our board of directors has the power to retain and discharge our officers, these provisions could also make it more difficult for existing stockholders or another party to effect a change in management.
These provisions may have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers, delaying or preventing changes in control of our management or the Company, such as a merger, reorganization or tender offer. These provisions are intended to enhance the likelihood of continued stability in the composition of our board of directors and its policies and to discourage certain types of transactions that may involve an actual or threatened acquisition of the Company. These provisions are designed to reduce our vulnerability to an unsolicited acquisition proposal. The provisions are also intended to discourage certain tactics that may be used in proxy fights. However, such provisions could have the effect of discouraging others from making tender offers for our shares and, as a consequence, they also may inhibit fluctuations in the market price of our shares that could result from actual or rumored takeover attempts. Such provisions may also have the effect of preventing changes in management.
Dissenters’ Rights of Appraisal and Payment
Under the DGCL, with certain exceptions, our stockholders have appraisal rights in connection with a merger or consolidation of us. Pursuant to the DGCL, stockholders who properly request and perfect appraisal rights in connection with such merger or consolidation have the right to receive payment of the fair value of their shares as determined by the Delaware Court of Chancery.
Stockholders’ Derivative Actions
Under the DGCL, any of our stockholders may bring an action in our name to procure a judgment in our favor, also known as a derivative action, provided that the stockholder bringing the action is a holder of our shares at the time of the transaction to which the action relates or such stockholder’s stock thereafter devolved by operation of law.
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Exclusive Forum
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, subject to limited exceptions, that unless we consent to the selection of an alternative forum, the state or federal courts (as appropriate) located within the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for any (1) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (2) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee or stockholder of the Company to the Company or our stockholders, creditors or other constituents, (3) action asserting a claim against the Company or any director or officer of the Company arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, or (4) action asserting a claim against the Company or any director or officer of the Company governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each such case subject to said courts having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein. This provision, however, does not apply to claims brought under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, and nothing in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws will preclude stockholders that assert claims under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, from bringing such claims in state or federal court, subject to applicable law. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of capital stock of the Company shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. However, the enforceability of similar forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be unenforceable. Our exclusive forum provision shall not relieve the Company of its duties to comply with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder, and our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with these laws, rules and regulations. Further, stockholders may not waive their rights under the Exchange Act, including their right to bring suit.
Conflicts of Interest
Delaware law permits corporations to adopt provisions renouncing any interest or expectancy in certain opportunities that are presented to the corporation or its officers, directors or stockholders. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, to the maximum extent permitted from time to time by Delaware law, renounces any interest or expectancy that we have in, or right to be offered an opportunity to participate in, specified business opportunities that are from time to time presented to our officers, directors or stockholders or their respective affiliates, other than those officers, directors, stockholders or affiliates who are our or our subsidiaries’ employees. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any director who is not employed by us (including any non-employee director who serves as one of our officers in both his or her director and officer capacities) or his or her affiliates will not have any duty to refrain from (1) engaging in a corporate opportunity in the same or similar lines of business in which we or our affiliates now engage or propose to engage or (2) otherwise competing with us or our affiliates. In addition, to the fullest extent permitted by law, in the event that any non-employee director acquires knowledge of a potential transaction or other business opportunity which may be a corporate opportunity for himself or his affiliates or for us or our affiliates, such person will have no duty to communicate or offer such transaction or business opportunity to us or any of our affiliates and they may take any such opportunity for themselves or offer it to another person or entity. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not renounce our interest in any business opportunity that is expressly offered to a non-employee director solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company. To the fullest extent permitted by law, no business opportunity will be deemed to be a potential corporate opportunity for us unless we would be permitted to undertake the opportunity under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, we have sufficient financial resources to undertake the opportunity and the opportunity would be in line with our business.
Limitations on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
The DGCL authorizes corporations to limit or eliminate the personal liability of directors to corporations and their stockholders for monetary damages for breaches of directors’ fiduciary duties, subject to certain
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exceptions. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation includes a provision that eliminates the personal liability of directors for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted under the DGCL. The effect of these provisions will be to eliminate the rights of us and our stockholders, through stockholders’ derivative suits on our behalf, to recover monetary damages from a director for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, including breaches resulting from grossly negligent behavior. However, exculpation will not apply to any director if the director has acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized illegal dividends or redemptions or derived an improper benefit from his or her actions as a director.
Our amended and restated bylaws provides that we must generally indemnify, and advance expenses to, our directors and officers to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL. We also are expressly authorized to carry directors’ and officers’ liability insurance providing indemnification for our directors, officers and certain employees for some liabilities. We have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors, which agreements require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us, and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified. We believe that these indemnification and advancement provisions and insurance will be useful to attract and retain qualified directors and officers.
The limitation of liability, indemnification and advancement provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. In addition, your investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
There is currently no pending material litigation or proceeding involving any of our directors, officers or employees for which indemnification is sought.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Equiniti Trust Company, LLC.
Listing
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “FA”.
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CERTAIN UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO NON-U.S. HOLDERS
The following is a summary of certain United States federal income tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our common stock. This summary deals only with common stock that is held as a capital asset by a non-U.S. holder (as defined below).
A “non-U.S. holder” means a beneficial owner of our common stock (other than an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes) that is not, for United States federal income tax purposes, any of the following:
| | an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; |
| | a corporation (or any other entity treated as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia; |
| | an estate the income of which is subject to United States federal income taxation regardless of its source; or |
| | a trust if it (1) is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the United States and one or more United States persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) has a valid election in effect under applicable United States Treasury regulations to be treated as a United States person. |
This summary is based upon provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and regulations, rulings and judicial decisions as of the date hereof. Those authorities may be changed, perhaps retroactively, so as to result in United States federal income tax consequences different from those summarized below. This summary does not address all of the United States federal income tax consequences that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances, nor does it address the Medicare tax on net investment income, United States federal estate and gift taxes or the effects of any state, local or non-United States tax laws. In addition, it does not represent a detailed description of the United States federal income tax consequences applicable to you if you are subject to special treatment under the United States federal income tax laws (including if you are a United States expatriate, foreign pension fund, “controlled foreign corporation,” “passive foreign investment company” or a partnership or other pass-through entity for United States federal income tax purposes). We cannot assure you that a change in law will not alter significantly the tax considerations that we describe in this summary.
If a partnership (or other entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes) holds our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner generally will depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a partnership or a partner of a partnership considering an investment in our common stock, you should consult your tax advisors.
If you are considering the purchase of our common stock, you should consult your own tax advisors concerning the particular United States federal income tax consequences to you of the ownership and disposition of our common stock, as well as the consequences to you arising under other United States federal tax laws and the laws of any other taxing jurisdiction.
Dividends
In the event that we make a distribution of cash or other property (other than certain pro rata distributions of our stock) in respect of our common stock, the distribution generally will be treated as a dividend for United States federal income tax purposes to the extent it is paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under United States federal income tax principles. Any portion of a distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits generally will be treated first as a tax-free return of capital, causing
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a reduction in the adjusted tax basis of a non-U.S. holder’s common stock, and to the extent the amount of the distribution exceeds a non-U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in our common stock, the excess will be treated as gain from the disposition of our common stock (the tax treatment of which is discussed below under “—Gain on Disposition of Common Stock”).
Dividends paid to a non-U.S. holder generally will be subject to withholding of United States federal income tax at a 30% rate or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty. However, dividends that are effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by the non-U.S. holder within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a United States permanent establishment) are not subject to the withholding tax, provided certain certification and disclosure requirements are satisfied. Instead, such dividends are subject to United States federal income tax on a net income basis generally in the same manner as if the non-U.S. holder were a United States person as defined under the Code. Any such effectively connected dividends received by a foreign corporation may be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty.
A non-U.S. holder who wishes to claim the benefit of an applicable treaty rate and avoid backup withholding, as discussed below, for dividends will be required (a) to provide the applicable withholding agent with a properly executed Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Form W-BEN or Form W-8BEN-E (or other applicable form) certifying under penalty of perjury that such holder is not a United States person as defined under the Code and is eligible for treaty benefits or (b) if our common stock is held through certain foreign intermediaries, to satisfy the relevant certification requirements of applicable United States Treasury regulations. Special certification and other requirements apply to certain non-U.S. holders that are pass-through entities rather than corporations or individuals.
A non-U.S. holder eligible for a reduced rate of United States federal withholding tax pursuant to an income tax treaty may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS.
Gain on Disposition of Common Stock
Subject to the discussion of backup withholding below, any gain realized by a non-U.S. holder on the sale or other disposition of our common stock generally will not be subject to United States federal income tax unless:
| | the gain is effectively connected with a trade or business of the non-U.S. holder in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a United States permanent establishment of the non-U.S. holder); |
| | the non-U.S. holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of that disposition, and certain other conditions are met; or |
| | we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” for United States federal income tax purposes and certain other conditions are met. |
A non-U.S. holder described in the first bullet point immediately above will be subject to tax on the gain derived from the sale or other disposition in the same manner as if the non-U.S. holder were a United States person as defined under the Code. In addition, if any non-U.S. holder described in the first bullet point immediately above is a foreign corporation, the gain realized by such non-U.S. holder may be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty. An individual non-U.S. holder described in the second bullet point immediately above will be subject to a 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty) tax on the gain derived from the sale or other disposition, which gain may be offset by United States source capital losses even though the individual is not considered a resident of the United States.
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Generally, a corporation is a “United States real property holding corporation” if the fair market value of its United States real property interests equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of its worldwide real property interests and its other assets used or held for use in a trade or business (all as determined for United States federal income tax purposes). We believe we are not and do not anticipate becoming a “United States real property holding corporation” for United States federal income tax purposes. If we are or become a “United States real property holding corporation,” however, so long as our common stock is regularly traded on an established securities market during the calendar year in which the sale or other disposition occurs, only a non-U.S. holder who holds or held (at any time during the shorter of the five year period preceding the date of disposition or the holder’s holding period) more than 5% of our common stock will be subject to United States federal income tax on the sale or other disposition of our common stock.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Distributions paid to a non-U.S. holder and the amount of any tax withheld with respect to such distributions generally will be reported to the IRS. Copies of the information returns reporting such distributions and any withholding may also be made available to the tax authorities in the country in which the non-U.S. holder resides under the provisions of an applicable income tax treaty.
A non-U.S. holder will not be subject to backup withholding on distributions received if such holder certifies under penalty of perjury that it is a non-U.S. holder (and the payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that such holder is a United States person as defined under the Code), or such holder otherwise establishes an exemption.
Information reporting and, depending on the circumstances, backup withholding will apply to the proceeds of a sale or other disposition of our common stock within the United States or conducted through certain United States-related financial intermediaries, unless the beneficial owner certifies under penalty of perjury that it is a non-U.S. holder (and the payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the beneficial owner is a United States person as defined under the Code), or such owner otherwise establishes an exemption.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a non-U.S. holder’s United States federal income tax liability provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Additional Withholding Requirements
Under Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code (such Sections commonly referred to as “FATCA”), a 30% United States federal withholding tax may apply to any dividends paid on our common stock to (i) a “foreign financial institution” (as specifically defined in the Code and whether such foreign financial institution is the beneficial owner or an intermediary) which does not provide sufficient documentation, typically on IRS Form W-8BEN-E, evidencing either (x) an exemption from FATCA, or (y) its compliance (or deemed compliance) with FATCA (which may alternatively be in the form of compliance with an intergovernmental agreement with the United States) in a manner which avoids withholding, or (ii) a “non-financial foreign entity” (as specifically defined in the Code and whether such non-financial foreign entity is the beneficial owner or an intermediary) which does not provide sufficient documentation, typically on IRS Form W-8BEN-E, evidencing either (x) an exemption from FATCA, or (y) adequate information regarding certain substantial United States beneficial owners of such entity (if any). If a dividend payment is both subject to withholding under FATCA and subject to the withholding tax discussed above under “—Dividends,” an applicable withholding agent may credit the withholding under FATCA against, and therefore reduce, such other withholding tax. While withholding under FATCA would also have applied to payments of gross proceeds from the sale or other taxable disposition of our common stock, proposed United States Treasury regulations (upon which taxpayers may rely until final regulations are issued) eliminate FATCA withholding on payments of gross proceeds entirely. You should consult your own tax advisors regarding these requirements and whether they may be relevant to your ownership and disposition of our common stock.
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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
The selling stockholder, and its pledgees, donees, transferees or other successors in interest, may from time to time offer and sell, separately or together, shares of common stock covered by this prospectus. Registration of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus does not mean, however, that those shares of common stock necessarily will be offered or sold.
The shares of common stock covered by this prospectus may be sold in one or more transactions from time to time, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to market prices, at a fixed price or prices subject to change or at negotiated prices, by a variety of methods including the following:
| | on Nasdaq or any other national securities exchange or U.S. inter-dealer system of a registered national securities association (including through at-the-market offerings); |
| | in the over-the-counter market; |
| | in privately negotiated transactions; |
| | to or through broker-dealers, who may act as agents or principals; |
| | to or through one or more underwriters on a firm commitment or best-efforts basis; |
| | in a block trade in which a broker-dealer will attempt to sell a block of shares of common stock as agent but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction; |
| | through put or call option transactions relating to the shares of common stock; |
| | directly to one or more purchasers; |
| | to or through agents; or |
| | in any combination of the above. |
In effecting sales, brokers, or dealers engaged by us and/or the selling stockholder may arrange for other brokers or dealers to participate. Broker-dealer transactions may include:
| | purchases of the shares of common stock by a broker-dealer as principal and resales of the shares of common stock by the broker-dealer for its account pursuant to this prospectus; |
| | ordinary brokerage transactions; or |
| | transactions in which the broker-dealer solicits purchasers on a best efforts basis. |
As of the date of this prospectus, the selling stockholder has not entered into any agreements, understandings, or arrangements with any underwriters or broker-dealers regarding the sale of the common stock covered by this prospectus. At any time a particular offer of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus is made, a revised prospectus or prospectus supplement, if required, will set forth the aggregate amount of shares of common stock covered by this prospectus being offered and the terms of the offering, including the name or names of any underwriters, dealers, brokers, or agents. In addition, to the extent required, any discounts, commissions, concessions, and other items constituting underwriters’ or agents’ compensation, as well as any discounts, commissions, or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers, will be set forth in such prospectus supplement. To the extent required, any such prospectus supplement, and, if necessary, a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, will be filed with the SEC to reflect the disclosure of additional information with respect to the distribution of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus.
To the extent required, the applicable prospectus supplement will set forth whether or not underwriters may over-allot or effect transactions that stabilize, maintain, or otherwise affect the market price of the common stock at levels above those that might otherwise prevail in the open market, including, for example, by entering stabilizing bids, effecting syndicate covering transactions or imposing penalty bids.
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If the selling stockholder utilizes a dealer in the sale of the securities being offered pursuant to this prospectus, the selling stockholder will sell the securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale.
The selling stockholder may also authorize agents or underwriters to solicit offers by certain types of institutional investors to purchase securities at the public offering price set forth in the revised prospectus or prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. The conditions to these contracts and the commission that the selling stockholder must pay for solicitation of these contracts will be described in a revised prospectus or prospectus supplement, to the extent such revised prospectus or prospectus supplement is required.
In connection with the sale of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus through underwriters, underwriters may receive compensation in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions and may also receive commissions from purchasers of shares of common stock for whom they may act as agent. Underwriters may sell to or through dealers, and such dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions, or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agent.
Any underwriters, broker-dealers, or agents participating in the distribution of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and any commissions received by any of those underwriters, broker-dealers, or agents may be deemed to be underwriting commissions under the Securities Act.
We and the selling stockholder may agree to indemnify underwriters, broker-dealers, or agents against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and may also agree to contribute to payments which the underwriters, broker-dealers, or agents may be required to make.
Certain of the underwriters, broker-dealers, or agents who may become involved in the sale of the shares of common stock may engage in transactions with and perform other services for us in the ordinary course of their business for which they receive customary compensation.
Some of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus may be sold by the selling stockholder in private transactions or under Rule 144 under the Securities Act rather than pursuant to this prospectus.
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LEGAL MATTERS
The validity of the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, New York, New York. An investment vehicle comprised of several partners of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, members of their families, related persons and others own interests representing less than 1% of the capital commitments of funds affiliated with Silver Lake. Legal matters may be passed upon for us, the selling stockholder, or any underwriters, dealers or agents by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.
EXPERTS
The consolidated financial statements of First Advantage Corporation and subsidiaries incorporated by reference in this Prospectus, and the effectiveness of First Advantage Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their reports. Such financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance upon the reports of such firm given their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We have filed a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act with respect to the common stock offered by this prospectus with the SEC. This prospectus is a part of the registration statement and does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and its exhibits and schedules, portions of which have been omitted as permitted by the rules and regulations of the SEC. For further information about us and our common stock, you should refer to the registration statement and its exhibits and schedules. Statements contained in this prospectus regarding the contents of any contract or other document referred to in those documents are not necessarily complete, and in each instance we refer you to the copy of the contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or other document. Each of these statements is qualified in all respects by this reference.
We are subject to the informational reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance with the Exchange Act, we file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our filings with the SEC are available to the public on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Those filings are also available to the public on, or accessible through, our website (www.fadv.com). The information we file with the SEC or contained on or accessible through our corporate website or any other website that we may maintain is not part of this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
We intend to make available to our common stockholders annual reports containing consolidated financial statements audited by an independent registered public accounting firm.
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INFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The rules of the SEC allow us to incorporate by reference information we file with the SEC. This means that we are disclosing important information to you by referring to other documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus. To the extent there are inconsistencies between the information contained in this prospectus and the information contained in the documents filed with the SEC prior to the date of this prospectus and incorporated by reference, the information in this prospectus shall be deemed to supersede the information in such incorporated documents. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below (other than any portions thereof, which under the Exchange Act, and applicable SEC rules, are not deemed “filed” under the Exchange Act, unless expressly stated otherwise therein):
| | our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025; |
| | our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2026 and June 30, 2026; |
| | the information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 from our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on April 24, 2026; |
| | our Current Reports on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on January 30, 2026, and June 8, 2026; and |
| | all other documents filed by us under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this prospectus and before the termination of the offerings to which this prospectus relates. |
If we have incorporated by reference any statement or information in this prospectus and we subsequently modify that statement or information with information contained in this prospectus, the statement or information previously incorporated in this prospectus is also modified or superseded in the same manner.
We will provide without charge to each person to whom a copy of this prospectus has been delivered, a copy of any and all of these filings. You may request a copy of these filings by calling us at 678-868-4151 or writing to us at:
Investor Relations
First Advantage Corporation
1 Concourse Parkway NE, Suite 200
Atlanta, GA 30328
e-mail: investors@fadv.com
Exhibits to any documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus will not be sent, however, unless those exhibits have been specifically referenced in this prospectus.
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87,450,000 Shares
First Advantage Corporation
Common Stock
Prospectus
August 10, 2026
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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution
The following table sets forth the expenses payable by the Registrant expected to be incurred in connection with the issuance and distribution of shares of common stock being registered hereby (other than the underwriting discounts and commissions). All of such expenses are estimates, except for the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, registration fee and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc., or FINRA, filing fee.
| (dollars in thousands) | ||
| SEC registration fee |
$245,884.56 | |
| FINRA filing fee |
* | |
| Printing fees and expenses |
* | |
| Legal fees and expenses |
* | |
| Accounting fees and expenses |
* | |
| Blue Sky fees and expenses (including legal fees) |
* | |
| Transfer agent and registrar fees and expenses |
* | |
| Miscellaneous |
* | |
|
| ||
| Total |
$ * | |
|
|
| * | To the extent required, any applicable prospectus supplement will set forth the estimated aggregate amount of expenses payable in respect of any offering of securities. |
Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Section 102(b)(7) of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL, allows a corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that a director or officer of the corporation will not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director or officer, as applicable, except where the director or officer breached the duty of loyalty, failed to act in good faith, engaged in intentional misconduct or knowingly violated a law, or obtained an improper personal benefit, or where the director authorized the payment of a dividend or approved a stock repurchase in violation of Delaware corporate law. In addition, any such provision may not limit or eliminate the liability of any officer in any action by or in the right of the corporation, including any derivative claims. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides for this limitation of liability.
Section 145 of the DGCL, or Section 145, provides, among other things, that a Delaware corporation may indemnify any person who was, is or is threatened to be made, party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of such corporation), by reason of the fact that such person is or was an officer, director, employee or agent of such corporation or is or was serving at the request of such corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, provided such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the corporation’s best interests and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful. A Delaware corporation may indemnify any persons who were or are a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit, provided such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the corporation’s best interests, provided further that no indemnification is permitted without
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judicial approval if the officer, director, employee or agent is adjudged to be liable to the corporation. Where an officer or director is successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of any action referred to above, the corporation must indemnify him or her against the expenses (including attorneys’ fees) which such officer or director has actually and reasonably incurred.
Section 145 further authorizes a corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise, against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of his or her status as such, whether or not the corporation would otherwise have the power to indemnify such person under Section 145.
Our amended and restated bylaws provide that we must indemnify, and advance expenses to, our directors and officers to the full extent authorized by the DGCL. We have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors, which agreements require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us, and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.
The indemnification rights set forth above shall not be exclusive of any other right which an indemnified person may have or hereafter acquire under any statute, provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our amended and restated bylaws, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we shall not be obligated to indemnify a director or officer in respect of a proceeding (or part thereof) instituted by such director or officer, unless such proceeding (or part thereof) has been authorized by our board of directors pursuant to the applicable procedure outlined in the amended and restated bylaws.
Section 174 of the DGCL provides, among other things, that a director, who willfully or negligently approves of an unlawful payment of dividends or an unlawful stock purchase or redemption, may be held jointly and severally liable for such actions. A director who was either absent when the unlawful actions were approved or dissented at the time may avoid liability by causing his or her dissent to such actions to be entered in the books containing the minutes of the meetings of the board of directors at the time such action occurred or immediately after such absent director receives notice of the unlawful acts.
We maintain standard policies of insurance that provide coverage (1) to our directors and officers against loss rising from claims made by reason of breach of duty or other wrongful act and (2) to us with respect to indemnification payments that we may make to such directors and officers.
We expect that the applicable underwriting agreement with respect to an offering will provide for indemnification by the underwriters of us and our officers and directors, and by us of the underwriters, for certain liabilities arising under the Securities Act or otherwise in connection with an offering of common stock pursuant to this registration statement.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us under any of the foregoing provisions, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
| (a) | Exhibits. |
See the Exhibit Index immediately preceding the signature pages hereto, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
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| (b) | Financial Statement Schedules. |
None.
Item 17. Undertakings.
The Registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:
(A) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;
(B) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and
(C) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.
Provided, however, that the undertakings set forth in paragraphs (A), (B) and (C) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.
(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser:
(A) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and
(B) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided,
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however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.
(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(A) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(B) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;
(C) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
(D) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
The Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(6) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer, or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit, or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question of whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
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EXHIBIT INDEX
| Exhibit Number |
Description | |
| 1.1* | Form of Underwriting Agreement. | |
| 3.1 | Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of First Advantage Corporation (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of First Advantage’s Form 8-K filed on June 25, 2021). | |
| 3.2 | Amended and Restated Bylaws of First Advantage Corporation (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of First Advantage’s Form 8-K filed on June 25, 2021). | |
| 5.1 | Opinion of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP regarding validity of the shares of common stock registered. | |
| 23.1 | Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP | |
| 23.2 | Consent of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP (included as part of Exhibit 5.1). | |
| 24.1 | Power of Attorney (included on signature pages to this Registration Statement). | |
| 107 | Filing Fee Table | |
| * | To be filed by amendment or as an exhibit to a document incorporated by reference into this registration statement at a later date, in connection with a specific offering. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Atlanta, Georgia, on August 10, 2026.
| FIRST ADVANTAGE CORPORATION | ||
| By: | /s/ Scott Staples | |
| Name: Scott Staples | ||
| Title: Chief Executive Officer | ||
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Steven Marks and Bret T. Jardine and each of them, the true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents of the undersigned, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for and in the name, place and stead of the undersigned, to sign in any and all capacities (including, without limitation, the capacities listed below), the registration statement, any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to the registration statement and any and all successor registration statements of First Advantage Corporation, including any filings pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and all other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and hereby grants to such attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and anything necessary to be done to enable First Advantage Corporation to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act and all the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, as fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his or her substitute, or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed by the following person in the capacities indicated on August 10, 2026:
| Signatures |
Title | |
| /s/ Scott Staples SCOTT STAPLES |
Chief Executive Officer & Director (principal executive officer) | |
| /s/ Steven Marks STEVEN MARKS |
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer and principal accounting officer) | |
| /s/ Joseph Osnoss JOSEPH OSNOSS |
Director | |
| /s/ Susan R. Bell SUSAN R. BELL |
Director | |
| /s/ Sharon Binger SHARON BINGER |
Director | |
| /s/ James L. Clark JAMES L. CLARK |
Director | |
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| Signatures |
Title | |
| /s/ Mark Gillett MARK GILLETT |
Director | |
| /s/ Bridgett Price BRIDGETT PRICE |
Director | |
| /s/ John Rudella JOHN RUDELLA |
Director | |
| /s/ Judith Sim JUDITH SIM |
Director | |