Insider Selling: First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Insider Sells 1,600 Shares of Stock

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) insider Patrick James Buehler sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $288,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $791,640. This trade represents a 26.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Patrick James Buehler also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, June 3rd, Patrick James Buehler sold 1,868 shares of First Solar stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.08, for a total value of $278,481.44.

First Solar Stock Down 4.3%

FSLR traded down $7.97 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $177.06. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,692,144 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,238,691. The stock's 50-day moving average is $156.66 and its 200-day moving average is $154.48. First Solar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $116.56 and a 1 year high of $262.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.06, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $1.95 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by ($0.55). The company had revenue of $844.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $863.11 million. First Solar had a net margin of 29.72% and a return on equity of 16.32%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.20 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Solar

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in First Solar during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of First Solar in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 138.9% during the second quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 172 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of First Solar by 591.9% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 256 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Advisors purchased a new position in First Solar in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on FSLR shares. Barclays lowered their price objective on First Solar from $236.00 to $204.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of First Solar from $188.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Wolfe Research raised shares of First Solar from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $221.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of First Solar from $204.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of First Solar from $200.00 to $187.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $228.69.

First Solar Company 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.

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