First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Bought by Trillium Asset Management LLC

Trillium Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 171,846 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 11,781 shares during the quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC owned 0.16% of First Solar worth $30,286,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of FSLR. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC purchased a new position in First Solar in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in First Solar by 214.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in First Solar by 31.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in First Solar in the fourth quarter valued at about $53,000. Finally, Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new position in First Solar in the fourth quarter valued at about $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on FSLR. Bank of America lowered their target price on First Solar from $246.00 to $236.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup reduced their price target on First Solar from $254.00 to $236.00 and set a “neutral” 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 research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Mizuho raised First Solar from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $218.00 to $259.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on First Solar from $360.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.09, for a total transaction of $3,039,360.78. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,403 shares in the company, valued at $14,589,129.27. This represents a 17.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 380 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total value of $50,825.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 17,594 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,353,197.50. This trade represents a 2.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Trading Down 4.3 %

FSLR stock opened at $127.34 on Wednesday. First Solar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $124.96 and a 1-year high of $306.77. The firm has a market cap of $13.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52. The business’s 50 day moving average is $159.91 and its 200-day moving average is $189.73. 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 data on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.