B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Sells 1,582 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG trimmed its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 9.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,665 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after selling 1,582 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in First Solar were worth $2,594,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in First Solar by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 9,210 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $1,623,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Doliver Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of First Solar by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Doliver Advisors LP now owns 4,713 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $831,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in First Solar by 31.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its holdings in First Solar by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 2,090 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its position in First Solar by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,463 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of FSLR stock opened at $127.57 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $147.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $183.30. First Solar, Inc. has a one year low of $120.60 and a one year high of $306.77. The stock has a market cap of $13.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.99, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52. 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 (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its earnings results 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 analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on FSLR shares. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of First Solar from $254.00 to $236.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 target price (down previously from $300.00) on shares of First Solar in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on First Solar from $282.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on First Solar from $280.00 to $251.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on First Solar from $273.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.08.

Insider Activity at First Solar

In other news, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 380 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total transaction of $50,825.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 17,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,353,197.50. This represents a 2.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.60, for a total value of $1,021,085.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now 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 sold 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158 in the last ninety days. 0.58% of the stock is owned by company 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.