Jefferies Financial Group Boosts First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Price Target to $211.00

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) had its price target hoisted by Jefferies Financial Group from $209.50 to $211.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the solar cell manufacturer’s stock.

FSLR has been the topic of a number of other reports. Barclays raised their target price on shares of First Solar from $224.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on First Solar in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They issued a buy rating and a $236.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on First Solar from $245.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of First Solar in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of First Solar from $265.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $238.16.

First Solar Trading Up 6.1 %

Shares of FSLR stock opened at $191.55 on Thursday. First Solar has a 1 year low of $129.21 and a 1 year high of $232.00. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $166.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $158.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 1.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.08, a PEG ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.37.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The solar cell manufacturer reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $794.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $718.19 million. First Solar had a net margin of 28.75% and a return on equity of 16.24%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 44.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.40 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that First Solar will post 13.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Solar news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.34, for a total transaction of $37,085.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $766,917.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other First Solar news, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 679 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $108,640.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 14,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,315,680. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.34, for a total transaction of $37,085.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $766,917.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 26,620 shares of company stock valued at $4,269,540. Company insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Solar

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FSLR. Family Legacy Inc. increased its stake in First Solar by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Family Legacy Inc. now owns 4,950 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $836,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in First Solar by 36.0% during the first quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 272 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC raised its position in First Solar by 15.6% during the first quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 534 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its stake in shares of First Solar by 10.7% in the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 765 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $129,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AtonRa Partners boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. AtonRa Partners now owns 3,600 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $620,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.