First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Purchased by NEOS Investment Management LLC

NEOS Investment Management LLC raised its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 29.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,483 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,243 shares during the quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC’s holdings in First Solar were worth $966,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in First Solar by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 9,210 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,623,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Doliver Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Doliver Advisors LP now owns 4,713 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $831,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its holdings in First Solar by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 2,090 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $368,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its position in First Solar by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,463 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $279,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on FSLR shares. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of First Solar from $307.00 to $267.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $280.00 price objective on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. UBS Group decreased their target price on First Solar from $360.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Citigroup dropped their target price on First Solar from $254.00 to $236.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on First Solar from $280.00 to $251.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.08.

First Solar Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FSLR opened at $127.32 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $150.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $185.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 2.14. First Solar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $124.32 and a 1-year high of $306.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.81 by ($1.16). The business had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. Equities analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at First Solar

In related news, insider Georges Antoun sold 229 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total value 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 $7,066,815. This represents a 0.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.60, for a total value of $1,021,085.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $484,793.40. This represents a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158 in the last 90 days. 0.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.