IFM Investors Pty Ltd Acquires 825 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 4.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,094 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 825 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in First Solar were worth $3,561,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in FSLR. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 36.0% in the first quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 272 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Atticus Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 15.6% in the first quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 534 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. AtonRa Partners grew its position in First Solar by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. AtonRa Partners now owns 3,600 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $620,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of First Solar by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 18,634 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $3,011,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management grew its holdings in First Solar by 0.7% during the third quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 12,294 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,987,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FSLR traded up $3.71 during trading on Friday, reaching $178.73. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,339,017 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,987,694. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.13 billion, a PE ratio of 23.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.41. First Solar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $129.21 and a 12 month high of $232.00. The company has a current ratio of 3.55, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $163.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $157.20.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.19 by $0.06. First Solar had a return on equity of 13.80% and a net margin of 25.03%. The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.07) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on FSLR. DZ Bank started coverage on First Solar in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $205.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of First Solar in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on shares of First Solar in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $236.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of First Solar from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $227.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of First Solar in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.36.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In related news, insider Georges Antoun sold 16,667 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.55, for a total transaction of $2,592,551.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,539,477.55. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Georges Antoun sold 16,667 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.55, for a total transaction of $2,592,551.85. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 42,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,539,477.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 787 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $125,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $787,200. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 26,620 shares of company stock worth $4,269,540 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

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.