Lbp Am Sa Boosts Stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Lbp Am Sa grew its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 34.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 47,013 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,012 shares during the quarter. Lbp Am Sa’s holdings in First Solar were worth $8,286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of First Solar by 47.0% during the fourth quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,859 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $856,000 after purchasing an additional 1,554 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in First Solar by 665.8% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 39,192 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $7,308,000 after buying an additional 34,074 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake in First Solar by 36.9% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 21,446 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $5,350,000 after buying an additional 5,780 shares during the last quarter. Paragon Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in First Solar in the fourth quarter worth about $1,240,000. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its stake in shares of First Solar by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 595,267 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $104,910,000 after acquiring an additional 49,074 shares during the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

First Solar Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of FSLR opened at $132.51 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $14.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.41, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52. First Solar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $124.96 and a 12 month high of $306.77. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $162.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $191.64. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

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

Insider Transactions at First Solar

In related news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 419 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total value of $55,710.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $624,247.20. This represents a 8.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,272 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total transaction of $169,125.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,492,640. This trade represents a 1.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 30,739 shares of company stock valued at $4,289,403 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of First Solar from $360.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $280.00 price target on shares of First Solar in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of First Solar from $307.00 to $267.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Barclays lowered their price target on First Solar from $273.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, First Solar currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $262.08.

About First Solar

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.