J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Buys 16,433 Shares of First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its stake by 18.2% in Q4, buying 16,433 shares to hold 106,875 First Solar shares (about $27.9M, ~0.10% of the company).
• First Solar's recent quarter showed EPS $4.84 (miss vs. $5.22 est.) while revenue was $1.68B (beat, +11.1% YoY)$19.82B and a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $248.17 target.
• Insider activity and ownership: insiders sold 75,989 shares (~$14.9M) over the past three months and now own 0.48% of the company, while institutional investors hold 92.08% of the stock.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG grew its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 18.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 106,875 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after purchasing an additional 16,433 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG owned about 0.10% of First Solar worth $27,919,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,287 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $504,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in First Solar by 2.6% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,879 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $414,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC raised its position in First Solar by 0.6% during the third quarter. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC now owns 8,116 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $1,790,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Rathbones Group PLC raised its position in First Solar by 1.0% during the third quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 4,930 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $1,087,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in First Solar by 5.9% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 956 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $211,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

First Solar Price Performance

NASDAQ:FSLR opened at $184.70 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $19.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.65. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $215.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $235.91. First Solar, Inc. has a one year low of $116.56 and a one year high of $285.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 2.35.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $4.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.22 by ($0.38). First Solar had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 29.28%.The company had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.65 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FSLR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of First Solar from $292.00 to $280.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of First Solar from $279.00 to $228.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Raymond James Financial began coverage on First Solar in a report on Monday, January 12th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on First Solar from $258.00 to $236.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Glj Research lowered First Solar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $314.43 to $207.82 in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $248.17.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 180 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.80, for a total transaction of $36,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,088 shares in the company, valued at $1,423,270.40. The trade was a 2.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 180 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.53, for a total value of $35,915.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,436 shares in the company, valued at $1,882,765.08. The trade was a 1.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 75,989 shares of company stock valued at $14,921,902. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

First Solar Profile

First Solar, Inc NASDAQ: FSLR is a United States–based solar technology company best known for designing and manufacturing thin‑film photovoltaic (PV) modules that use cadmium telluride (CdTe) semiconductor technology. The company supplies PV modules and delivers integrated solar power solutions for utility‑scale projects, positioning itself as a provider of both components and complete solar energy systems rather than solely a parts supplier. First Solar was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.

Beyond module manufacturing, First Solar offers a range of project services including development support, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services, and operations and maintenance (O&M) for large-scale solar installations.

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