JNBA Financial Advisors Acquires 175 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

JNBA Financial Advisors raised its position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,086 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. JNBA Financial Advisors’ holdings in First Solar were worth $770,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 411.1% in 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 purchased a new position in shares of First Solar during the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of First Solar in the second quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Alta Advisers Ltd purchased a new position in First Solar during the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. 92.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on FSLR. Hsbc Global Res upgraded First Solar to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on First Solar from $281.00 to $278.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on First Solar from $311.00 to $279.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on First Solar from $315.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of First Solar from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $254.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $281.13.

First Solar Stock Performance

First Solar stock traded down $27.70 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $188.19. The company had a trading volume of 8,278,709 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,470,715. The firm has a market cap of $20.15 billion, a PE ratio of 15.29, a PEG ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.44. First Solar, Inc. has a one year low of $129.21 and a one year high of $306.77. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $220.87 and a 200 day moving average of $225.16.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by ($0.19). First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The business had revenue of $887.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 value of $1,913,418.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $769,896. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other First Solar news, CAO Byron Michael Jeffers sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $110,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 8,619 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.00, for a total transaction of $1,913,418.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $769,896. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.