First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Acquired by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 9.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,450,914 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after acquiring an additional 120,239 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 1.36% of First Solar worth $255,709,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FSLR. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 31.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in First Solar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in First Solar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of First Solar in the fourth quarter worth $54,000. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In other news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.09, for a total value of $3,039,360.78. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 103,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,589,129.27. The trade was a 17.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $484,793.40. The trade was a 67.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 34,311 shares of company stock valued at $4,767,158. 0.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $255.00 price objective on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on First Solar from $267.00 to $240.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on First Solar from $282.00 to $268.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Mizuho raised First Solar from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $218.00 to $259.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of First Solar in a report on Monday, March 3rd. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, First Solar currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $226.30.

First Solar Price Performance

Shares of FSLR opened at $163.37 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 2.14. First Solar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $116.56 and a fifty-two week high of $306.77. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $136.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $162.68. The company has a market capitalization of $17.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.46.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $844.57 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $863.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.20 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate 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.

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