First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Purchased by Fisher Asset Management LLC

Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 44,798 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 3,060 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in First Solar were worth $7,895,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of FSLR. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of First Solar by 33.3% in the 3rd quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 1,739 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $434,000 after acquiring an additional 434 shares during the period. National Pension Service grew its position in First Solar by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 185,883 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $46,367,000 after purchasing an additional 11,683 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in First Solar by 2.2% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 41,934 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $10,460,000 after purchasing an additional 904 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of First Solar by 29.2% in the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,307 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $576,000 after buying an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar during the third quarter worth about $216,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FSLR opened at $131.23 on Wednesday. First Solar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $124.96 and a twelve month high of $306.77. The company has a market capitalization of $14.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.47. 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 50-day moving average price of $170.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $196.30.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com raised First Solar from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on First Solar from $240.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of First Solar from $282.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $280.00 price objective on shares of First Solar in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $265.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Four equities research 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.com, First Solar currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $262.08.

Insider Transactions at First Solar

In other news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of First Solar 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,403 shares in the company, valued at $14,589,129.27. The trade was a 17.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 company’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 transaction of $1,021,085.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,549 shares in the company, valued at $484,793.40. The trade was a 67.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

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.