Swedbank AB Sells 7,767 Shares of First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Swedbank AB lessened its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 148,695 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after selling 7,767 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned 0.14% of First Solar worth $32,792,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its stake in First Solar by 126.9% in the 2nd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 152 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of First Solar by 138.9% during the second quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 172 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 69.4% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 183 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in First Solar in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on First Solar from $273.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Seaport Global Securities boosted their price objective on shares of First Solar from $217.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of First Solar from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of First Solar in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $271.27.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of FSLR opened at $272.27 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $29.22 billion, a PE ratio of 20.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.59. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $257.07 and a 200-day moving average of $213.87. First Solar, Inc. has a one year low of $116.56 and a one year high of $285.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 1.55.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $4.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.32 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. First Solar had a net margin of 27.73% and a return on equity of 16.61%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 79.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.91 earnings per share. First Solar has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.000-15.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at First Solar

In other First Solar news, insider Georges Antoun sold 37,412 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $265.01, for a total transaction of $9,914,554.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 15,424 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,087,514.24. This trade represents a 70.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul H. Stebbins sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.40, for a total transaction of $1,836,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 15,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,011,308.80. This represents a 31.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 48,912 shares of company stock worth $12,971,349. 0.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About First Solar

First Solar, Inc (NASDAQ: FSLR) is a United States–based solar technology company best known for designing and manufacturing thin‑film photovoltaic (PV) modules that use cadmium telluride (CdTe) semiconductor technology. The company supplies PV modules and delivers integrated solar power solutions for utility‑scale projects, positioning itself as a provider of both components and complete solar energy systems rather than solely a parts supplier. First Solar was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.

Beyond module manufacturing, First Solar offers a range of project services including development support, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services, and operations and maintenance (O&M) for large-scale solar installations.