Natixis Has $4.66 Million Stock Position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Natixis raised its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 27.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,440 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after acquiring an additional 5,769 shares during the quarter. Natixis' holdings in First Solar were worth $4,660,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC boosted its position in First Solar by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 9,210 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $1,623,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Doliver Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of First Solar by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Doliver Advisors LP now owns 4,713 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $831,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 31.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its stake in First Solar by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 2,090 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $368,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in First Solar by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 511 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $245.00 price target (down from $285.00) on shares of First Solar in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Mizuho raised First Solar from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $218.00 to $259.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays reduced their price objective on First Solar from $236.00 to $204.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of First Solar from $282.00 to $268.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $265.00 price target on shares of First Solar in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Four equities research 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $249.96.

First Solar Price Performance

First Solar stock traded up $5.42 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $141.86. 2,698,287 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,777,383. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.48. The business's 50-day moving average is $133.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.09. 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.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last announced 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). 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 analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. Equities research analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other First Solar news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were 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 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 can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.60, for a total transaction of $1,021,085.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $484,793.40. This represents a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.