First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) CEO Mark R. Widmar Sells 1,272 Shares

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,272 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total transaction of $169,125.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 109,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,492,640. This represents a 1.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FSLR traded down $6.02 on Monday, hitting $133.11. 3,446,450 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,741,593. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $166.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $193.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.47, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 2.14. First Solar, Inc. has a one year low of $124.96 and a one year high of $306.77.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. Research analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FSLR. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of First Solar by 47.0% in the 4th quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,859 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $856,000 after buying an additional 1,554 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in First Solar by 665.8% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 39,192 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $7,308,000 after acquiring an additional 34,074 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 36.9% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 21,446 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $5,350,000 after acquiring an additional 5,780 shares during the period. Paragon Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at $1,240,000. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in shares of First Solar by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 595,267 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $104,910,000 after purchasing an additional 49,074 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on FSLR shares. Guggenheim cut their target price on First Solar from $335.00 to $304.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America cut their price objective on First Solar from $246.00 to $236.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays lowered their target price on First Solar from $273.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of First Solar from $297.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of First Solar from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Four 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.08.

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.