First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Acquired by Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc.

Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 321.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,635 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after acquiring an additional 14,209 shares during the period. First Solar accounts for approximately 2.4% of Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in First Solar were worth $3,284,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FSLR. Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new position in First Solar in the third quarter worth approximately $229,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of First Solar by 20.6% in the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 2,177 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $543,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in First Solar by 36.9% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 21,446 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $5,350,000 after acquiring an additional 5,780 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Solar in the third quarter valued at approximately $913,000. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 30,867 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $7,699,000 after purchasing an additional 2,301 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FSLR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of First Solar from $236.00 to $204.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on First Solar from $267.00 to $240.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on First Solar from $280.00 to $251.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on First Solar from $240.00 to $209.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded First Solar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $251.63.

First Solar Trading Down 2.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FSLR traded down $3.72 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $127.54. The stock had a trading volume of 1,688,783 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,732,559. First Solar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $116.56 and a fifty-two week high of $306.77. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $139.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $174.76. The stock has a market cap of $13.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.99, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.48. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.48 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,272 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total value of $169,125.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,492,640. The trade was a 1.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Georges Antoun sold 229 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total transaction of $30,628.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 52,836 shares in the company, valued at $7,066,815. The trade was a 0.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 34,311 shares of company stock valued at $4,767,158. 0.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.