First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Bought by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 88.5% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 769 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after acquiring an additional 361 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in First Solar were worth $192,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FSLR. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in First Solar by 0.9% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,257,053 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $2,068,991,000 after purchasing an additional 105,236 shares during the period. Electron Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of First Solar by 81,947.0% in the second quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,669,757 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,729,223,000 after buying an additional 7,660,409 shares in the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. raised its holdings in shares of First Solar by 11.1% in the 1st quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 2,801,916 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $472,963,000 after buying an additional 279,719 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in First Solar by 8.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 795,393 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $179,478,000 after acquiring an additional 64,265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in First Solar by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 652,354 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $147,080,000 after acquiring an additional 2,378 shares during the period. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Solar Price Performance

Shares of FSLR opened at $198.47 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $224.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.31. The stock has a market cap of $21.24 billion, a PE ratio of 20.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.44. First Solar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $129.21 and a 1-year high of $306.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 1.65.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.69 by $0.56. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $939.71 million. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.73% and a net margin of 31.98%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 24.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.53 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 8,619 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.00, for a total transaction of $1,913,418.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $769,896. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 8,619 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.00, for a total value of $1,913,418.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $769,896. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Byron Michael Jeffers sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $110,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,885 shares of company stock valued at $2,405,757. 0.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of First Solar from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of First Solar from $311.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. DZ Bank upgraded shares of First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $280.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Citigroup upgraded First Solar from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $254.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on First Solar from $344.00 to $307.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $288.46.

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.