Banco Santander S.A. Has $1.91 Million Position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Banco Santander S.A. boosted its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 127.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,853 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 6,075 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in First Solar were worth $1,913,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Solar in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in First Solar in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in First Solar by 214.0% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in First Solar by 31.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on FSLR shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on First Solar from $240.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com raised First Solar from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on First Solar in a report on Monday, March 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Barclays decreased their price objective on First Solar from $273.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.08.

Insider Activity at First Solar

In other First Solar news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.60, for a total transaction of $1,021,085.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,549 shares in the company, valued at $484,793.40. This represents a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.09, for a total value of $3,039,360.78. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 103,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,589,129.27. This represents a 17.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

First Solar Price Performance

First Solar stock opened at $139.13 on Monday. First Solar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $124.96 and a 12 month high of $306.77. 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 business’s 50 day simple moving average is $167.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $194.40. The company has a market cap of $14.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.98, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.81 by ($1.16). First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The firm had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.48 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current year.

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.