J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Purchases 32,583 Shares of First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 56.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 90,442 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 32,583 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG owned approximately 0.08% of First Solar worth $19,945,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FSLR. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,193,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in First Solar in the third quarter valued at approximately $969,000. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS acquired a new stake in First Solar during the 3rd quarter worth $666,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its position in shares of First Solar by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 15,916 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $3,510,000 after acquiring an additional 1,281 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First Solar in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,275,000. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Georges Antoun sold 37,412 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.01, for a total transaction of $9,914,554.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 15,424 shares in the company, valued at $4,087,514.24. This represents a 70.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michael T. Sweeney sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.11, for a total value of $1,219,995.00. Following the sale, the director owned 13,662 shares in the company, valued at $3,703,904.82. The trade was a 24.78% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 48,912 shares of company stock valued at $12,971,349 in the last three months. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

First Solar Price Performance

FSLR stock opened at $242.97 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $257.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $228.40. First Solar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $116.56 and a 1 year high of $285.99. The stock has a market cap of $26.07 billion, a PE ratio of 18.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on FSLR. Mizuho lifted their price objective on First Solar from $278.00 to $335.00 in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on First Solar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on shares of First Solar in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $286.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of First Solar from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of First Solar from $240.00 to $264.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.76.

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.