First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Acquired by Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. grew its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 23.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,384 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,734 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.'s holdings in First Solar were worth $2,535,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 214.0% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in First Solar by 31.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in First Solar in the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $54,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on FSLR shares. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of First Solar from $250.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on First Solar from $307.00 to $267.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of First Solar from $240.00 to $209.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of First Solar from $297.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised First Solar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Four research 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, First Solar presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $262.08.

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Insider Activity at First Solar

In related news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.60, for a total transaction of $1,021,085.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,549 shares in the company, valued at $484,793.40. The trade was a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.09, for a total value of $3,039,360.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,589,129.27. This trade represents a 17.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.58% of the company's stock.

First Solar Stock Down 2.3 %

First Solar stock traded down $2.93 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $124.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,367,256 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,762,150. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.71, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $150.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $184.79. First Solar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $120.60 and a 52-week high of $306.77.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last announced 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). First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The company had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.48 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current year.

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.