First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Acquired by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 13.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,867 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after buying an additional 3,018 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in First Solar were worth $4,383,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in First Solar in the 4th quarter worth $317,399,000. Demars Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in First Solar by 17,404.5% in the 4th quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 722,760 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $127,379,000 after purchasing an additional 718,631 shares during the period. Mirova US LLC raised its holdings in First Solar by 961.0% in the 4th quarter. Mirova US LLC now owns 646,310 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $113,906,000 after purchasing an additional 585,394 shares during the period. Amundi raised its holdings in First Solar by 31.0% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,805,244 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $336,871,000 after purchasing an additional 426,797 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in First Solar by 30.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,248,552 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $220,045,000 after purchasing an additional 293,134 shares during the period. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FSLR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on First Solar from $204.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on First Solar from $275.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Guggenheim cut their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on First Solar from $282.00 to $268.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, KeyCorp lowered First Solar from a "sector weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $100.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, First Solar has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $227.37.

First Solar Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of First Solar stock traded up $2.03 on Friday, hitting $158.38. 3,560,103 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,066,201. The company has a market cap of $16.99 billion, a PE ratio of 13.64, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.46. First Solar, Inc. has a 52 week low of $116.56 and a 52 week high of $306.77. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $137.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $161.43.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $1.95 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by ($0.55). The business had revenue of $844.57 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $863.11 million. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.20 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at First Solar

In other news, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 380 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total transaction of $50,825.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 17,594 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,353,197.50. The trade was a 2.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 3,549 shares in the company, valued at $484,793.40. This trade represents a 67.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 34,311 shares of company stock valued at $4,767,158. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

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.