Achmea Investment Management B.V. Decreases Position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Achmea Investment Management B.V. lessened its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 67.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,746 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after selling 7,693 shares during the period. Achmea Investment Management B.V.’s holdings in First Solar were worth $661,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tredje AP fonden lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 13.2% during the 4th quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 17,910 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $3,156,000 after purchasing an additional 2,091 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 105.5% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 5,210 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $918,000 after purchasing an additional 2,675 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 77.1% during the 4th quarter. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP now owns 49,602 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $8,742,000 after purchasing an additional 21,601 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 687 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $121,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,692 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Stock Down 0.2 %

FSLR stock opened at $132.51 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $162.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $191.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.19 billion, a PE ratio of 11.41, a P/E/G 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 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 (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its 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). First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. The firm had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. Equities analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FSLR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of First Solar in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of First Solar from $240.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of First Solar from $282.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $280.00 price target on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, 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 research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, First Solar has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Solar news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.09, for a total transaction of $3,039,360.78. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 103,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,589,129.27. This trade represents a 17.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 419 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 transaction of $55,710.24. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $624,247.20. This represents a 8.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 30,739 shares of company stock worth $4,289,403. 0.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.