First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Bought by Asset Management One Co. Ltd.

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,228 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 980 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in First Solar were worth $7,834,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Pacific Financial acquired a new position in First Solar during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Estabrook Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Headinvest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 97.7% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 421 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director R Craig Kennedy sold 1,500 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.76, for a total transaction of $236,640.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 15,641 shares in the company, valued at $2,467,524.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director R Craig Kennedy sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.76, for a total value of $236,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 15,641 shares in the company, valued at $2,467,524.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Georges Antoun sold 2,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.00, for a total value of $422,400.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 37,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,584,512. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 26,620 shares of company stock valued at $4,269,540 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of FSLR stock opened at $179.22 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.18 billion, a PE ratio of 23.16, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.41. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $155.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $154.95. First Solar, Inc. has a one year low of $129.21 and a one year high of $232.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.55 and a quick ratio of 2.92.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.19 by $0.06. First Solar had a return on equity of 13.80% and a net margin of 25.03%. The business had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.07) EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FSLR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $258.00 price target on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of First Solar from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $215.00 to $187.00 in a report on Monday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday, December 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $211.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of First Solar in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of First Solar from $188.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, First Solar presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.48.

First Solar 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.