Leibman Financial Services Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Leibman Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 14.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,797 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,571 shares during the period. First Solar comprises 1.9% of Leibman Financial Services Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Leibman Financial Services Inc.'s holdings in First Solar were worth $2,503,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of FSLR. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $53,000. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new position in First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in First Solar by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 475 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at First Solar

In other First Solar news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,272 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total value of $169,125.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 109,000 shares in the company, valued at $14,492,640. This represents a 1.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 599 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total value of $80,116.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,114,648.75. This trade represents a 1.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 17,802 shares of company stock valued at $2,655,403 over the last 90 days. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on FSLR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $265.00 price target on shares of First Solar in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on First Solar from $275.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on First Solar from $267.00 to $240.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a $157.00 price objective (up previously from $127.00) on shares of First Solar in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on First Solar from $254.00 to $236.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, First Solar currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $227.94.

First Solar Stock Up 0.3%

FSLR stock traded up $0.44 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $159.81. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,032,731 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,059,707. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $141.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $160.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.76, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. First Solar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $116.56 and a 52-week high of $306.77.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $1.95 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.50 by ($0.55). The company had revenue of $844.57 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $863.11 million. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.20 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS 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.