First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Sold by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lessened its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 36.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,343 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after selling 2,441 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in First Solar were worth $769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in First Solar by 47.0% during the 4th quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,859 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $856,000 after buying an additional 1,554 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Solar by 665.8% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 39,192 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $7,308,000 after acquiring an additional 34,074 shares during the last quarter. Paragon Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in First Solar during the 4th quarter worth about $1,240,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in First Solar by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 595,267 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $104,910,000 after purchasing an additional 49,074 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Equity Partners lifted its holdings in First Solar by 41,342.9% in the 4th quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 2,901 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $511,000 after purchasing an additional 2,894 shares in the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other First Solar news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,403 shares in the company, valued at $14,589,129.27. This represents a 17.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $484,793.40. This trade represents a 67.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

First Solar Stock Up 0.6 %

First Solar stock traded up $0.75 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $126.57. 4,491,180 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,856,414. First Solar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $116.56 and a 1 year high of $306.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market cap of $13.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $131.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $167.45.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.50 by ($0.55). First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. The business had revenue of $844.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $863.11 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.20 EPS. The company's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on FSLR. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of First Solar in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $265.00 price target on First Solar in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on First Solar from $191.00 to $177.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Mizuho upgraded First Solar from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $218.00 to $259.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price target on First Solar from $230.00 to $205.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given 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 presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $223.87.

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.