First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Insider Patrick James Buehler Sells 1,600 Shares

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

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 stock was sold at an average price of $149.08, for a total transaction of $278,481.44.

First Solar Price Performance

NASDAQ:FSLR traded down $0.90 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $165.09. 3,016,922 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,254,355. The company has a market capitalization of $17.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.52. First Solar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $116.56 and a 12 month high of $262.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $158.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $154.60.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $844.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $863.11 million. First Solar had a return on equity of 16.32% and a net margin of 29.72%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.20 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Solar

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of First Solar during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in First Solar in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in First Solar by 138.9% in the 2nd quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 172 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of First Solar by 591.9% during the 1st 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 acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of First Solar from $251.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Morgan Stanley set a $223.00 price objective on shares of First Solar and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of First Solar from $200.00 to $187.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Guggenheim dropped their price target on shares of First Solar from $253.00 to $202.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered shares of First Solar from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued 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, First Solar presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $228.69.

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.