Insider Selling: First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Insider Sells 335 Shares of Stock

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) insider Caroline Stockdale sold 335 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.80, for a total transaction of $67,268.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 34,060 shares in the company, valued at $6,839,248. The trade was a 0.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Caroline Stockdale also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, March 9th, Caroline Stockdale sold 1,041 shares of First Solar stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.36, for a total transaction of $198,164.76.
• On Tuesday, March 3rd, Caroline Stockdale sold 1,650 shares of First Solar stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.93, for a total value of $323,284.50.

First Solar Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR traded up $0.94 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $200.42. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,358,366 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,623,352. The business’s 50 day moving average is $224.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $236.51. First Solar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $116.56 and a 12-month high of $285.99. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm has a market cap of $21.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.65.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $4.84 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.22 by ($0.38). First Solar had a net margin of 29.28% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.65 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. DZ Bank raised shares of First Solar to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $205.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of First Solar in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of First Solar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $300.00 to $245.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $263.00 price objective on First Solar in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $248.17.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Woodline Partners LP raised its holdings in shares of First Solar by 40.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 9,044 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,143,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of First Solar by 33.4% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 903 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $149,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of First Solar by 33.8% during the second quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 973 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $161,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its holdings in First Solar by 36.6% during the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 58,607 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $9,702,000 after buying an additional 15,708 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in First Solar by 40.1% in the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 20,441 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $3,384,000 after buying an additional 5,850 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Company Profile

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.