Caxton Associates LP Raises Stock Position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Caxton Associates LP boosted its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 2,700.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 70,000 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after acquiring an additional 67,500 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LP owned 0.07% of First Solar worth $12,337,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in First Solar during the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of First Solar during the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar in the fourth quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In other First Solar news, insider Georges Antoun sold 229 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total transaction of $30,628.75. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 52,836 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,066,815. The trade was a 0.43 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,272 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,492,640. This represents a 1.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of FSLR stock traded up $6.98 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $140.74. The stock had a trading volume of 5,427,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,249,361. The stock's 50 day moving average is $130.14 and its 200 day moving average is $164.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.09 billion, a PE ratio of 12.12, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.46. First Solar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $116.56 and a twelve month 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.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $1.95 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $863.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.20 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on FSLR shares. Glj Research raised First Solar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $172.37 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. KeyCorp cut shares of First Solar from a "sector weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $100.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Guggenheim reduced their target price on shares of First Solar from $253.00 to $202.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of First Solar from $223.00 to $217.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on First Solar from $240.00 to $235.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, First Solar currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.