E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB Grows Holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB increased its position in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 55.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 244,218 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after acquiring an additional 87,002 shares during the period. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB owned about 0.23% of First Solar worth $30,876,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of First Solar by 31.7% during 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 in the last quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in First Solar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. boosted its position in First Solar by 18.8% in the fourth quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 475 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer lowered shares of First Solar from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and issued a $157.00 target price (up previously from $127.00) on shares of First Solar in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of First Solar from $251.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of First Solar from $237.00 to $214.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Guggenheim cut their target price on shares of First Solar from $253.00 to $202.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $227.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In other news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,966 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total transaction of $262,952.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,890 shares in the company, valued at $14,965,287.50. This trade represents a 1.73% 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 Patrick James Buehler sold 1,868 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.08, for a total transaction of $278,481.44. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 5,998 shares of the company's stock, valued at $894,181.84. This represents a 23.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 17,948 shares of company stock valued at $2,704,927. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

First Solar Trading Up 1.5%

NASDAQ FSLR traded up $2.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $166.35. 2,118,211 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,065,453. First Solar, Inc. has a one year low of $116.56 and a one year high of $306.77. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $143.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $159.64. The stock has a market cap of $17.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.53. 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 announced 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 firm had revenue of $844.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $863.11 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.20 EPS. First Solar's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS 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.