14,854 Shares in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Purchased by Banque Cantonale Vaudoise

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in First Solar, purchasing 14,854 shares valued at approximately $1,878,000 during the first quarter of the year.
• Multiple analysts have issued updated ratings for First Solar, with price targets ranging from $194.00 to $240.00, while the average consensus price target stands at $225.73.
• Insider transactions have been noted, including a sale of 1,600 shares by insider Patrick James Buehler for $288,000, marking a 26.68% decrease in their position.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new position in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 14,854 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock, valued at approximately $1,878,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First Solar during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in First Solar by 591.9% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 256 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in First Solar in the first quarter valued at about $45,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 1st quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in First Solar during the fourth quarter worth $53,000. 92.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on First Solar from $204.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Mizuho increased their price objective on First Solar from $275.00 to $278.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $223.00 target price on shares of First Solar and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of First Solar from $200.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of First Solar from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $221.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, First Solar presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $221.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $288,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at $791,640. This represents a 26.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael Koralewski sold 2,951 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.21, for a total value of $466,877.71. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 11,369 shares in the company, valued at $1,798,689.49. The trade was a 20.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,976 shares of company stock valued at $2,515,172 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of FSLR traded up $0.77 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $184.74. The stock had a trading volume of 1,356,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,864,942. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $165.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $152.90. First Solar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $116.56 and a fifty-two week high of $262.72. The company has a market cap of $19.81 billion, a PE ratio of 15.80, a PEG ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.48.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $1.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 15.57% and a net margin of 28.95%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.25 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current 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.