National Pension Service Grows Stock Holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

National Pension Service raised its holdings in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 6.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 185,883 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,683 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in First Solar were worth $46,367,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in FSLR. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in First Solar during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 411.1% in the second quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 138 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in shares of First Solar during the second quarter worth $36,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in First Solar in the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Alta Advisers Ltd purchased a new stake in First Solar in the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In related news, CAO Byron Michael Jeffers sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $110,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 8,619 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.00, for a total transaction of $1,913,418.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,468 shares in the company, valued at $769,896. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Byron Michael Jeffers sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $110,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Trading Down 10.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR opened at $194.02 on Thursday. First Solar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $129.21 and a twelve month high of $306.77. The firm has a market cap of $20.77 billion, a PE ratio of 16.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 1.48. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $220.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $225.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $887.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.50 EPS. Analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on FSLR. Susquehanna reduced their target price on First Solar from $280.00 to $252.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays upped their price objective on First Solar from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of First Solar in a report on Thursday, August 29th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. DZ Bank raised shares of First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $280.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of First Solar from $271.00 to $266.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned 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, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $281.13.

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.