First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Acquired by TCW Group Inc.

TCW Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 104.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 33,490 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,116 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc.’s holdings in First Solar were worth $5,902,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp grew its position in First Solar by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,956,633 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $1,236,383,000 after purchasing an additional 108,984 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Solar by 0.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,602,503 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $647,440,000 after buying an additional 24,143 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of First Solar by 75.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,097,364 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $523,166,000 after buying an additional 904,498 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 0.9% during the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 1,743,813 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $434,977,000 after buying an additional 15,890 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of First Solar by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,330,675 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $331,924,000 after acquiring an additional 90,249 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FSLR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on First Solar from $311.00 to $279.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on First Solar from $240.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $260.00 price target (down previously from $286.00) on shares of First Solar in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of First Solar from $315.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded shares of First Solar from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, First Solar presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.38.

First Solar Price Performance

First Solar stock opened at $155.39 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.38, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.47. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $176.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $200.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 2.14. First Solar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $141.70 and a 1 year high of $306.77.

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.