Boston Common Asset Management LLC Sells 19,254 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Boston Common Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 25.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 56,557 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after selling 19,254 shares during the quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC owned 0.05% of First Solar worth $7,151,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised 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 buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its position in shares of First Solar by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 2,090 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its position in shares of First Solar by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 511 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Evexia Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of First Solar by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Evexia Wealth LLC now owns 3,481 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $586,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its stake in First Solar by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,463 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 419 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total transaction of $55,710.24. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $624,247.20. This trade represents a 8.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,272 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,851 shares of company stock worth $2,188,525. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FSLR has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on First Solar from $204.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Guggenheim lowered their target price on First Solar from $253.00 to $202.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. KeyCorp downgraded First Solar from a "sector weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $100.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Glj Research upgraded 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. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on First Solar from $236.00 to $204.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $227.37.

First Solar Trading Up 2.1%

FSLR stock traded up $3.33 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $159.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,254,911 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,058,970. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 2.14. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $140.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $160.69. First Solar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $116.56 and a 1 year high of $306.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.72, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.46.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $1.95 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 analysts' expectations of $863.11 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.20 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current year.

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.