Czech National Bank Increases Stock Holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Czech National Bank increased its position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 6.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 23,213 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after buying an additional 1,401 shares during the period. Czech National Bank's holdings in First Solar were worth $4,091,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of FSLR. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of First Solar in the second quarter worth about $794,000. Choreo LLC bought a new position in First Solar in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $282,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in First Solar by 33.3% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 57,292 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $12,917,000 after buying an additional 14,298 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in First Solar by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 51,473 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $11,605,000 after buying an additional 2,077 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of First Solar by 56.9% during the second quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,767 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $1,526,000 after buying an additional 2,455 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

First Solar Stock Up 2.2 %

NASDAQ FSLR traded up $4.07 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $190.89. 1,831,974 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,648,952. First Solar, Inc. has a 52 week low of $135.88 and a 52 week high of $306.77. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $190.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $210.17. The company has a market cap of $20.44 billion, a PE ratio of 16.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.44.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.10 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $887.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. First Solar's revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.50 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on FSLR. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of First Solar to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of First Solar from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of First Solar from $311.00 to $279.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of First Solar from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $260.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of First Solar from $240.00 to $209.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $277.75.

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.