Trillium Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Trillium Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 7.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 171,846 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after buying an additional 11,781 shares during the quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC owned about 0.16% of First Solar worth $30,286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Solar in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of First Solar by 31.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FSLR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on First Solar in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on First Solar from $297.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Truist Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $285.00 target price (down previously from $300.00) on shares of First Solar in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. UBS Group decreased their target price on First Solar from $360.00 to $285.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their target price on First Solar from $335.00 to $304.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $262.08.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.09, for a total transaction of $3,039,360.78. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,589,129.27. This represents a 17.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Georges Antoun sold 229 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total value of $30,628.75. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 52,836 shares in the company, valued at $7,066,815. This trade represents a 0.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 34,311 shares of company stock valued at $4,767,158. Corporate insiders own 0.58% of the company's stock.

First Solar Price Performance

NASDAQ FSLR traded up $2.86 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $131.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,507,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,568,942. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $156.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $188.22. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $124.96 and a 1 year high of $306.77. The company has a market capitalization of $14.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.31, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 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 business had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.48 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.