First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Bought by Optimum Investment Advisors

Optimum Investment Advisors grew its position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,306 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Optimum Investment Advisors’ holdings in First Solar were worth $583,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of FSLR. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in First Solar by 214.0% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of First Solar by 31.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Financial Avengers Inc. purchased a new stake in First Solar in the 3rd quarter worth $77,000. 92.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Solar Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of FSLR opened at $131.32 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $156.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $188.05. First Solar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $124.96 and a 12-month high of $306.77. 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 firm has a market cap of $14.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.81 by ($1.16). The company had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.48 billion. First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other First Solar news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.09, for a total transaction of $3,039,360.78. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,403 shares in the company, valued at $14,589,129.27. This represents a 17.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Georges Antoun sold 229 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total transaction of $30,628.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 52,836 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,066,815. The trade was a 0.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FSLR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of First Solar from $246.00 to $236.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com upgraded First Solar from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays lowered their price target on First Solar from $273.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $265.00 price objective on First Solar in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, First Solar has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.08.

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.