Lightrock Netherlands B.V. Has $119.84 Million Stake in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Lightrock Netherlands B.V. decreased its holdings in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLRFree Report) by 8.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 607,502 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after selling 58,805 shares during the quarter. First Solar accounts for approximately 12.1% of Lightrock Netherlands B.V.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. owned about 0.57% of First Solar worth $119,836,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of FSLR. Aventura Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in First Solar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in First Solar by 117.0% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 102 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on FSLR shares. Barclays lifted their price target on First Solar from $213.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on First Solar from $230.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on First Solar from $205.00 to $187.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. HSBC boosted their target price on First Solar from $211.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of First Solar from $300.00 to $243.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $256.41.

View Our Latest Research Report on FSLR

Insider Activity at First Solar

In other First Solar news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 4,815 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.43, for a total transaction of $1,191,375.45. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 89,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,029,435.19. This represents a 5.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Caroline Stockdale sold 10,628 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.60, for a total transaction of $2,929,076.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 23,792 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,557,075.20. This trade represents a 30.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 31,893 shares of company stock worth $7,893,775 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting First Solar

Here are the key news stories impacting First Solar this week:

First Solar Trading Down 5.3%

NASDAQ FSLR opened at $211.93 on Friday. First Solar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $167.60 and a 1-year high of $320.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $251.39 and a 200-day moving average of $229.14. The firm has a market cap of $22.77 billion, a PE ratio of 13.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.73.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLRGet Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.35. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 30.73%.The business had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.95 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.54 EPS for the current year.

About First Solar

(Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR)

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