First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Stock Holdings Increased by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 4.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 805,798 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after purchasing an additional 32,506 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 0.75% of First Solar worth $101,877,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in First Solar by 0.7% during the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 11,348 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $1,435,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of First Solar by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,243 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $284,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,293 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in First Solar by 11.6% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 985 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $125,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of First Solar by 9.5% in the 1st quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,375 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $174,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FSLR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer cut First Solar from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on First Solar from $200.00 to $208.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Bank of America raised their price objective on First Solar from $185.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. KeyCorp cut First Solar from a "sector weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $100.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $223.00 price target on First Solar and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $222.44.

Insider Activity at First Solar

In other First Solar news, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 1,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $288,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $791,640. This represents a 26.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 3,796 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.19, for a total transaction of $710,573.24. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 84,182 shares in the company, valued at $15,758,028.58. The trade was a 4.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 43,684 shares of company stock worth $7,660,704 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

First Solar Price Performance

NASDAQ:FSLR traded up $19.90 on Friday, reaching $199.95. 10,927,711 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,393,773. The firm has a market cap of $21.44 billion, a PE ratio of 17.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.48. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $171.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $153.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. First Solar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $116.56 and a 12 month high of $262.72.

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

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.