First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Sold by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers lessened its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 26.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,927 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after selling 8,228 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in First Solar were worth $4,041,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of FSLR. BOKF NA grew its stake in shares of First Solar by 87,650.0% in the 4th quarter. BOKF NA now owns 1,755 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $332,000 after buying an additional 1,753 shares in the last quarter. BROOKFIELD Corp ON grew its position in First Solar by 25.4% in the 4th quarter. BROOKFIELD Corp ON now owns 16,910 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $2,980,000 after acquiring an additional 3,425 shares during the last quarter. Blackstone Inc. bought a new stake in First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at about $208,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $644,000. Finally, Caxton Associates LP grew its position in shares of First Solar by 2,700.0% during the 4th quarter. Caxton Associates LP now owns 70,000 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $12,337,000 after buying an additional 67,500 shares in the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

First Solar Trading Down 7.6%

First Solar stock traded down $13.54 during trading on Monday, hitting $164.92. The company had a trading volume of 10,866,846 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,097,484. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a market cap of $17.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.46. First Solar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $116.56 and a 1-year high of $306.77. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $134.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $162.92.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

FSLR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $265.00 target price on First Solar in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Mizuho raised shares of First Solar from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $218.00 to $259.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of First Solar from $237.00 to $214.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wolfe Research upgraded First Solar from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $221.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of First Solar from $236.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $226.30.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In other First Solar news, insider Georges Antoun sold 229 shares of the 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 $30,628.75. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 52,836 shares in the company, valued at $7,066,815. This represents a 0.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,966 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total value of $262,952.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,890 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,965,287.50. The trade was a 1.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 34,311 shares of company stock valued at $4,767,158. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

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.