Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. Boosts Position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. grew its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 107.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 221,975 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after acquiring an additional 115,056 shares during the quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. owned about 0.21% of First Solar worth $39,121,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of First Solar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $317,399,000. Demars Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 17,404.5% in the 4th quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 722,760 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $127,379,000 after purchasing an additional 718,631 shares in the last quarter. Mirova US LLC lifted its position in First Solar by 961.0% during the fourth quarter. Mirova US LLC now owns 646,310 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $113,906,000 after purchasing an additional 585,394 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its holdings in First Solar by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,805,244 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $336,871,000 after purchasing an additional 426,797 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in First Solar by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,359,846 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $415,899,000 after buying an additional 262,482 shares in the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird decreased 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. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $230.00 target price (down previously from $260.00) on shares of First Solar in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Mizuho raised First Solar from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the company from $218.00 to $259.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on First Solar from $282.00 to $268.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, First Solar has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $249.96.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In other First Solar news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now owns 3,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $484,793.40. This trade represents a 67.81 % 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, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.09, for a total value of $3,039,360.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,589,129.27. The trade was a 17.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 34,311 shares of company stock valued at $4,767,158. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

First Solar Trading Up 4.0 %

FSLR stock traded up $5.42 during trading on Friday, hitting $141.86. The company had a trading volume of 2,697,453 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,773,009. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.22, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $133.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $169.67. First Solar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $116.56 and a 52-week high of $306.77.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.48 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.