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

Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH grew its position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 147.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,749 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after purchasing an additional 1,640 shares during the period. 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 also recently modified their holdings of FSLR. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in First Solar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new position in First Solar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in First Solar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in First Solar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of First Solar stock traded up $3.33 during trading on Friday, hitting $159.28. 5,254,911 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,050,574. First Solar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $116.56 and a 12 month high of $306.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 2.14. The stock has a market cap of $17.08 billion, a PE ratio of 13.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.46. The stock's fifty day moving average is $140.67 and its 200 day moving average is $160.69.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. The firm had revenue of $844.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $863.11 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.20 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,272 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total value of $169,125.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,492,640. This represents a 1.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 419 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total value of $55,710.24. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at $624,247.20. This trade represents a 8.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,851 shares of company stock valued at $2,188,525 over the last ninety days. 0.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on First Solar from $223.00 to $217.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on First Solar from $200.00 to $187.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. KeyCorp lowered First Solar from a "sector weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $100.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on First Solar from $230.00 to $205.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on First Solar from $282.00 to $268.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $227.37.

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.