Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Buys 4,920 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 284.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,652 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after acquiring an additional 4,920 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC's holdings in First Solar were worth $1,123,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Great Diamond Partners LLC boosted its stake in First Solar by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Great Diamond Partners LLC now owns 1,463 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $247,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in First Solar by 9.6% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 28,374 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $4,790,000 after buying an additional 2,492 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC raised its holdings in First Solar by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 13,538 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $2,285,000 after buying an additional 1,055 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in First Solar during the 1st quarter valued at $7,885,000. Finally, Significant Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in First Solar by 25.0% during the 1st quarter. Significant Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,574 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $434,000 after buying an additional 514 shares during the period. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

First Solar Trading Down 5.9 %

First Solar stock traded down $13.08 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $208.17. The stock had a trading volume of 3,383,940 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,524,607. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $243.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $190.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a current ratio of 2.41. First Solar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $129.21 and a twelve month high of $306.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.28 billion, a PE ratio of 21.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.44.

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First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The solar cell manufacturer reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.30. First Solar had a return on equity of 16.24% and a net margin of 28.75%. The business had revenue of $794.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $718.19 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.40 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 44.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.63 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on FSLR shares. Guggenheim dropped their price target on First Solar from $359.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. DZ Bank downgraded First Solar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $270.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Evercore ISI raised First Solar from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $227.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on First Solar from $262.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Mizuho restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $274.00 price objective (up from $209.00) on shares of First Solar in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $272.72.

• Analysts Unveil Surprising Forecast: First Solar Stock to Surge

Get Our Latest Research Report on First Solar

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In other news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 1,621 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total transaction of $421,460.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $922,740. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 1,621 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total value of $421,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $922,740. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director R Craig Kennedy sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.73, for a total value of $393,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,908 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,736,120.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 51,153 shares of company stock worth $12,540,428 over the last quarter. 0.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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