Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH Purchases 1,640 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH boosted its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 147.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,749 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after buying an additional 1,640 shares during the quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH's holdings in First Solar were worth $484,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in FSLR. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC increased its stake in First Solar by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 9,210 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $1,623,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in First Solar by 31.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its position in First Solar by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 2,090 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $368,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 15.3% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 511 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evexia Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Evexia Wealth LLC now owns 3,481 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $586,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at First Solar

In other First Solar news, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 380 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 value of $50,825.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 17,594 shares in the company, valued at $2,353,197.50. The trade was a 2.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,966 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total transaction of $262,952.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,890 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,965,287.50. This trade represents a 1.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158. 0.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on FSLR shares. Morgan Stanley set a $223.00 price target on shares of First Solar and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of First Solar from $267.00 to $240.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $265.00 price objective on shares of First Solar in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of First Solar from $200.00 to $187.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of First Solar in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $226.30.

First Solar Stock Performance

FSLR stock traded up $2.30 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $167.22. The stock had a trading volume of 6,087,508 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,116,252. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.93 billion, a PE ratio of 14.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $136.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $162.67. First Solar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $116.56 and a fifty-two week high of $306.77.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $1.95 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by ($0.55). The firm had revenue of $844.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $863.11 million. First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The business's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.20 EPS. Analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About First Solar

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.