Baldwin Investment Management LLC Has $1.27 Million Stock Holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Baldwin Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 25.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,217 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after selling 2,522 shares during the period. Baldwin Investment Management LLC's holdings in First Solar were worth $1,272,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in First Solar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in First Solar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in First Solar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter worth $54,000. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FSLR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of First Solar from $191.00 to $177.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays cut their price objective on First Solar from $236.00 to $204.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Bank of America decreased their target price on First Solar from $236.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Mizuho raised shares of First Solar from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $218.00 to $259.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of First Solar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $202.00 to $127.00 in a report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, First Solar has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $223.87.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the insider now owns 3,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at $484,793.40. This represents a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,272 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total value of $169,125.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 109,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,492,640. This represents a 1.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

First Solar Price Performance

NASDAQ:FSLR opened at $130.54 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $14.00 billion, a PE ratio of 11.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.48. The company's 50-day moving average price is $131.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $166.11. 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 12 month low of $116.56 and a 12 month high of $306.77.

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

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.

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