UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC Has $220.12 Million Stake in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Key Points

• UBS Asset Management raised its stake in First Solar by 20%, now holding approximately 1.74 million shares valued at over $220 million, as reported in their recent SEC filing.
• Insider trading activity includes CEO Mark R. Widmar selling 2,321 shares, reducing his ownership by 2.76%, while institutional investors collectively own over 92% of First Solar's stock.
• Analysts have given First Solar a Moderate Buy rating, with several firms raising their price targets significantly, reflecting strong market confidence in the stock's future performance.

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 20.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,741,026 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after acquiring an additional 290,112 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned about 1.62% of First Solar worth $220,118,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Optimize Financial Inc grew its stake in First Solar by 76.7% in the first quarter. Optimize Financial Inc now owns 14,724 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $1,862,000 after acquiring an additional 6,392 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP grew its stake in First Solar by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 9,044 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $1,143,000 after acquiring an additional 2,615 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its stake in First Solar by 4,505.0% in the first quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 921 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 901 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in First Solar by 416.0% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 74,857 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $9,464,000 after acquiring an additional 60,350 shares during the period. Finally, United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in First Solar in the first quarter valued at about $309,000. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 2,321 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.44, for a total value of $462,900.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 81,861 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,326,357.84. This trade represents a 2.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Nathan B. Theurer sold 686 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.03, for a total value of $124,872.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 32,315 shares of company stock worth $6,021,305. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on First Solar from $204.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Bank of America upped their price objective on First Solar from $185.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $275.00 price objective (up from $255.00) on shares of First Solar in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on First Solar from $203.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on First Solar from $194.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $225.84.

First Solar Stock Performance

FSLR opened at $203.31 on Friday. First Solar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $116.56 and a 52-week high of $262.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.80 billion, a PE ratio of 17.39, a PEG ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.90. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $187.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $158.92.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.50. First Solar had a return on equity of 15.57% and a net margin of 28.95%.The business had revenue of $1.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.25 earnings per share. First Solar's revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. First Solar has set its FY 2025 guidance at 13.500-16.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share 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.

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