Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC Trims Holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC lowered its position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 267,516 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after selling 2,276 shares during the period. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC owned 0.25% of First Solar worth $47,147,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at about $317,399,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of First Solar by 75.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,097,364 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $523,166,000 after acquiring an additional 904,498 shares during the period. Mirova US LLC raised its holdings in First Solar by 961.0% during the 4th quarter. Mirova US LLC now owns 646,310 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $113,906,000 after purchasing an additional 585,394 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its holdings in First Solar by 31.0% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,805,244 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $336,871,000 after acquiring an additional 426,797 shares during the period. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in First Solar by 110.4% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 375,010 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $66,092,000 after acquiring an additional 196,744 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company's stock.

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First Solar Trading Down 6.9 %

Shares of FSLR traded down $8.91 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $120.72. The stock had a trading volume of 2,110,299 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,720,204. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 2.14. First Solar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $116.56 and a 12-month high of $306.77. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $141.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.84. The firm has a market cap of $12.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.34, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.48.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 firm 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at First Solar

In other news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,272 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total value of $169,125.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,492,640. The trade was a 1.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 380 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total transaction of $50,825.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 17,594 shares in the company, valued at $2,353,197.50. This represents a 2.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 34,311 shares of company stock valued at $4,767,158. Corporate insiders own 0.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on FSLR shares. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of First Solar from $254.00 to $236.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $265.00 price target on shares of First Solar in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of First Solar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on First Solar from $282.00 to $268.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of First Solar from $273.00 to $236.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have issued 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 target price of $257.42.

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.