First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Bought by Schroder Investment Management Group

Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,347,095 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 92,881 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group owned approximately 1.26% of First Solar worth $237,412,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of First Solar by 60.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 7,457 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,860,000 after purchasing an additional 2,796 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in First Solar by 214.0% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in First Solar in the third quarter worth approximately $360,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in shares of First Solar by 1.9% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 80,271 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $20,036,000 after buying an additional 1,479 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 3rd quarter valued at $240,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Price Performance

NASDAQ:FSLR opened at $127.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.44. First Solar, Inc. has a one year low of $124.32 and a one year high of $306.77. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $150.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $185.17. The stock has a market cap of $13.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.97, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.81 by ($1.16). First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The company had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. Analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Solar news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 419 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total transaction of $55,710.24. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $624,247.20. The trade was a 8.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,272 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total value of $169,125.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,492,640. The trade was a 1.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,311 shares of company stock valued at $4,767,158 over the last ninety days. 0.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FSLR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on First Solar from $297.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Guggenheim cut their price objective on First Solar from $335.00 to $304.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Mizuho upgraded shares of First Solar from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $218.00 to $259.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of First Solar from $254.00 to $236.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of First Solar in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.08.

First Solar Company Profile

First Solar, Inc, a solar technology company, provides photovoltaic (PV) solar energy solutions in the United States, France, Japan, Chile, and internationally. The company manufactures and sells PV solar modules with a thin film semiconductor technology that provides a lower-carbon alternative to conventional crystalline silicon PV solar modules.