Natixis Advisors LLC Purchases 2,686 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 74,803 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 2,686 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.07% of First Solar worth $13,183,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in FSLR. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of First Solar by 214.0% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Financial Avengers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 3rd quarter valued at about $77,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on FSLR shares. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of First Solar from $273.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on First Solar from $280.00 to $251.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Guggenheim lowered their price objective 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. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $285.00 target price (down from $300.00) on shares of First Solar in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Citigroup lowered 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 report on Wednesday, February 26th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.08.

First Solar Price Performance

NASDAQ FSLR opened at $129.34 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.14, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52. First Solar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $124.96 and a 1-year high of $306.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $158.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $189.31.

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). The firm had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. On average, equities analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at First Solar

In related news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of First Solar 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $484,793.40. The trade was a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 103,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,589,129.27. The trade was a 17.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158. 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.