Stephens Inc. AR Acquires 7,496 Shares of First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Key Points

• Stephens Inc. AR increased its stake in First Solar by 30.5% in the fourth quarter, adding 7,496 shares to bring its total holding to 32,055 shares worth about $8.37 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with several other investors also boosting their positions and 92.08% of First Solar shares held by institutions.
• First Solar reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting $3.22 EPS on $1.04 billion in revenue, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $247.03.

Stephens Inc. AR increased its position in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 30.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,055 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after buying an additional 7,496 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in First Solar were worth $8,374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of FSLR. Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 9,044 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $1,143,000 after buying an additional 2,615 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 50.9% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 516 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 84.3% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,529 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $750,000 after buying an additional 2,072 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 2nd quarter worth $494,000. Finally, AXA S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 18,862 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $3,122,000 after buying an additional 1,115 shares during the period. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, General Counsel Jason E. Dymbort sold 9,022 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.62, for a total value of $1,800,971.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 9,850 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,966,257. This represents a 47.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 14,106 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total transaction of $2,820,776.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 30,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,999,100. This represents a 31.98% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 92,430 shares of company stock worth $18,670,055. Corporate insiders own 0.39% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on FSLR shares. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of First Solar from $252.00 to $237.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of First Solar from $286.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Zacks Research raised shares of First Solar from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of First Solar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $247.03.

First Solar Price Performance

NASDAQ:FSLR opened at $233.37 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $25.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.08, a PEG ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.57. First Solar, Inc. has a one year low of $135.50 and a one year high of $285.99. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $200.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $231.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 2.56 and a quick ratio of 2.15.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.03 billion. First Solar had a net margin of 30.73% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.95 EPS. Analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.64 earnings per share for the current year.

First Solar Company 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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