Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 2,686 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 74,803 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,686 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.07% of First Solar worth $13,183,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FSLR. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Solar by 214.0% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Financial Avengers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 3rd quarter worth about $77,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on FSLR shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of First Solar from $280.00 to $251.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of First Solar from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of First Solar from $307.00 to $267.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of First Solar from $297.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price 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 given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, First Solar has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $262.08.

Remove Ads

First Solar Stock Performance

First Solar stock traded up $2.86 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $131.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,507,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,575,179. First Solar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $124.96 and a 12-month high of $306.77. The company has a market capitalization of $14.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.31, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 2.14. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $156.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $188.05.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.81 by ($1.16). First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The business had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.48 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at First Solar

In other news, insider Georges Antoun sold 229 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total transaction of $30,628.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 52,836 shares in the company, valued at $7,066,815. The trade was a 0.43 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, 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 transaction, the insider now owns 3,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at $484,793.40. This trade represents a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158. Corporate insiders own 0.58% of the company's stock.

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.