Mivtachim The Workers Social Insurance Fund Ltd. Under Special Management Buys New Stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Mivtachim The Workers Social Insurance Fund Ltd. Under Special Management bought a new stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 70,700 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock, valued at approximately $17,635,000. First Solar makes up approximately 2.4% of Mivtachim The Workers Social Insurance Fund Ltd. Under Special Management's holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Mivtachim The Workers Social Insurance Fund Ltd. Under Special Management owned approximately 0.07% of First Solar at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Solar during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in First Solar by 411.1% in the 2nd quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 138 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in First Solar in the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in First Solar in the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Alta Advisers Ltd purchased a new stake in First Solar in the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Byron Michael Jeffers sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $110,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 8,619 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.00, for a total value of $1,913,418.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,468 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $769,896. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Byron Michael Jeffers sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $110,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.58% of the company's stock.

First Solar Trading Down 1.4 %

FSLR stock traded down $2.77 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $193.93. The company had a trading volume of 3,559,985 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,888,382. 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 company has a market capitalization of $20.76 billion, a PE ratio of 16.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 1.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $218.98 and a 200 day moving average of $225.18. First Solar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $129.21 and a 12 month high of $306.77.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.10 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $887.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. First Solar's revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.50 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FSLR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. DZ Bank upgraded shares of First Solar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $280.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of First Solar from $262.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded shares of First Solar from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $260.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of First Solar in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of First Solar from $281.00 to $278.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $281.13.

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.