Interval Partners LP Invests $1.09 Million in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Interval Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 6,195 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock, valued at approximately $1,092,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of First Solar by 20.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,104 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $1,252,000 after acquiring an additional 1,192 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its position in First Solar by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 23,213 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $4,091,000 after purchasing an additional 1,401 shares during the last quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD lifted its holdings in First Solar by 221.7% during the 4th quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD now owns 9,578 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $1,688,000 after buying an additional 6,601 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH grew its position in shares of First Solar by 94.1% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 3,300 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $582,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clean Yield Group increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 27,491 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $4,845,000 after buying an additional 1,109 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on FSLR shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $255.00 price objective on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of First Solar from $282.00 to $268.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. KeyCorp cut shares of First Solar from a "sector weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $100.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of First Solar from $254.00 to $236.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut shares of First Solar from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $224.48.

First Solar Stock Down 4.1%

NASDAQ FSLR traded down $7.72 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $178.46. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,251,444 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,054,858. The company has a market capitalization of $19.14 billion, a PE ratio of 15.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. 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 $134.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $163.52.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last posted 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). First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The company had revenue of $844.57 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $863.11 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.20 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.60, for a total transaction of $1,021,085.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at $484,793.40. This trade represents a 67.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Georges Antoun sold 229 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total transaction of $30,628.75. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 52,836 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,066,815. The trade was a 0.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,311 shares of company stock valued at $4,767,158 in the last three months. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.