Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Acquires 4,658 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 149.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,777 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after buying an additional 4,658 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in First Solar were worth $1,371,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in First Solar by 47.0% during the 4th quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,859 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $856,000 after purchasing an additional 1,554 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Solar by 665.8% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 39,192 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $7,308,000 after buying an additional 34,074 shares during the period. Paragon Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in First Solar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,240,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in shares of First Solar by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 595,267 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $104,910,000 after purchasing an additional 49,074 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Equity Partners grew its holdings in First Solar by 41,342.9% during the 4th quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 2,901 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $511,000 after purchasing an additional 2,894 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company's stock.

First Solar Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of First Solar stock traded down $1.41 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $139.32. 1,042,294 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,776,549. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 2.14. First Solar, Inc. has a 52 week low of $116.56 and a 52 week high of $306.77. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $133.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $167.95. The company has a market cap of $14.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.48.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.81 by ($1.16). First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The company had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. Equities analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FSLR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of First Solar from $254.00 to $236.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on First Solar from $267.00 to $240.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on First Solar from $240.00 to $209.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $280.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their price target on shares of First Solar from $304.00 to $253.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, First Solar has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $249.96.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Georges Antoun sold 229 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total transaction of $30,628.75. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 52,836 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,066,815. The trade was a 0.43 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 599 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 34,311 shares of company stock valued at $4,767,158. 0.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.