Insider Selling: First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) CFO Sells 599 Shares of Stock

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 599 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total value of $80,116.25. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 45,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,114,648.75. This trade represents a 1.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

First Solar Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FSLR traded up $2.86 on Friday, reaching $131.32. The company had a trading volume of 4,507,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,566,034. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $157.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $188.89. First Solar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $124.96 and a twelve month high of $306.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) 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 company had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current year.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FSLR. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in First Solar by 214.0% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 31.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar in the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on FSLR shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on First Solar from $307.00 to $267.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. UBS Group reduced 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 note on Wednesday, February 26th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $280.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. 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 report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of First Solar from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $218.00 to $259.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.