Amiral Gestion Invests $529,000 in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Amiral Gestion bought a new position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,000 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock, valued at approximately $529,000. First Solar makes up about 0.3% of Amiral Gestion's holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of FSLR. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of First Solar in the fourth quarter worth $317,399,000. Demars Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 17,404.5% in the fourth quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 722,760 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $127,379,000 after buying an additional 718,631 shares in the last quarter. Mirova US LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 961.0% in the fourth quarter. Mirova US LLC now owns 646,310 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $113,906,000 after buying an additional 585,394 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its stake 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in First Solar by 218.6% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 446,799 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $78,744,000 after buying an additional 306,581 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

First Solar Trading Down 1.2%

FSLR traded down $1.88 on Thursday, hitting $154.58. The company had a trading volume of 1,508,673 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,750,307. The firm has a market cap of $16.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.31, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.46. First Solar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $116.56 and a 1 year high of $306.77. The company's fifty day moving average price is $139.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $161.11. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $844.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $863.11 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.20 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FSLR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $280.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Glj Research upgraded shares of First Solar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $172.37 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of First Solar from $236.00 to $204.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of First Solar from $267.00 to $240.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of First Solar in a report on Monday, March 3rd. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $227.37.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In other First Solar news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,966 shares of the firm'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 $262,952.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,890 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,965,287.50. This trade represents a 1.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.60, for a total value of $1,021,085.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at $484,793.40. This trade represents a 67.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 34,311 shares of company stock valued at $4,767,158. 0.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About First Solar

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.