Stiles Financial Services Inc Grows Stock Holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Stiles Financial Services Inc raised its holdings in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,745 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc’s holdings in First Solar were worth $435,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in First Solar during the third quarter worth $25,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Solar by 411.1% during the 2nd quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 138 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in First Solar during the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in First Solar in the 2nd quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Alta Advisers Ltd bought a new stake in First Solar in the second quarter worth about $45,000. 92.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Solar Stock Down 1.1 %

First Solar stock opened at $194.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.82 billion, a PE ratio of 16.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 1.48. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $219.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $224.75. First Solar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $129.21 and a 12 month high of $306.77.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.10 by ($0.19). The firm had revenue of $887.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. First Solar’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.50 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Roth Mkm dropped their price objective on First Solar from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $260.00 target price (down from $286.00) on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of First Solar from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of First Solar from $321.00 to $269.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of First Solar from $250.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $281.13.

Insider Activity at First Solar

In other news, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 8,619 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.00, for a total value of $1,913,418.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,468 shares in the company, valued at $769,896. This represents a 0.00 % 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. In related news, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 8,619 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.00, for a total value of $1,913,418.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $769,896. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Byron Michael Jeffers sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $110,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.58% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.