First Solar Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:FSLR)

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors acquired 51,551 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 82% compared to the average volume of 28,320 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other First Solar news, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 599 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total transaction of $80,116.25. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,717 shares in the company, valued at $6,114,648.75. This trade represents a 1.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,272 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total value of $169,125.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 109,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,492,640. This trade represents a 1.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 34,311 shares of company stock valued at $4,767,158 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First Solar in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of First Solar during the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar during the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

First Solar Trading Up 1.5 %

FSLR stock traded up $2.04 during trading on Friday, hitting $138.48. The company had a trading volume of 651,407 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,765,112. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $133.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $169.67. The stock has a market cap of $14.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.94, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.48. First Solar has a 12 month low of $116.56 and a 12 month high of $306.77. 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 (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.81 by ($1.16). First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. The company had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. As a group, analysts predict that First Solar will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FSLR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of First Solar from $267.00 to $240.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Barclays lowered their target price on First Solar from $236.00 to $204.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $223.00 price target on shares of First Solar and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of First Solar from $280.00 to $251.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised First Solar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, First Solar presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.