Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Purchases 4,658 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 149.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,777 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after buying an additional 4,658 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in First Solar were worth $1,371,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $317,399,000. Demars Financial Group LLC lifted its position in First Solar by 17,404.5% during the fourth quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 722,760 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $127,379,000 after buying an additional 718,631 shares during the period. Mirova US LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 961.0% during the 4th quarter. Mirova US LLC now owns 646,310 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $113,906,000 after buying an additional 585,394 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in shares of First Solar by 31.0% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,805,244 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $336,871,000 after buying an additional 426,797 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,359,846 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $415,899,000 after acquiring an additional 262,482 shares in the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.60, for a total value of $1,021,085.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at $484,793.40. This represents a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,966 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total value of $262,952.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,890 shares in the company, valued at $14,965,287.50. This trade represents a 1.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158 over the last three months. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

First Solar Stock Performance

First Solar stock traded up $5.42 during trading on Friday, reaching $141.86. The company had a trading volume of 2,698,287 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,783,160. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $133.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $168.70. First Solar, Inc. has a 52 week low of $116.56 and a 52 week high of $306.77. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.48.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.81 by ($1.16). The company had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. Sell-side analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on FSLR. StockNews.com upgraded shares of First Solar from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on First Solar from $240.00 to $209.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on First Solar from $223.00 to $217.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays reduced their price target on First Solar from $236.00 to $204.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of First Solar from $282.00 to $268.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $249.96.

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.