First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Sold by Axa S.A.

AXA S.A. cut its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 64.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,344 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after selling 55,118 shares during the quarter. AXA S.A.'s holdings in First Solar were worth $5,348,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position 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 buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in First Solar during the 4th quarter worth $53,000. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in First Solar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in First Solar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $54,000. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of First Solar by 18.8% in the fourth quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 475 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

First Solar Trading Up 5.8%

Shares of FSLR traded up $8.11 during trading on Monday, reaching $148.79. 2,588,329 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,236,412. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $130.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $163.55. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $116.56 and a twelve month high of $306.77. The stock has a market cap of $15.96 billion, a PE ratio of 12.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.46.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $1.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by ($0.55). First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The firm had revenue of $844.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $863.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.20 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In other news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,589,129.27. This trade represents a 17.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 599 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total value of $80,116.25. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,114,648.75. The trade was a 1.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,311 shares of company stock valued at $4,767,158 in the last three months. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FSLR has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $223.00 target price on First Solar and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays decreased their target price on First Solar from $236.00 to $204.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of First Solar from $254.00 to $236.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of First Solar from $200.00 to $187.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of First Solar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $223.87.

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.