First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) CEO Sells $169,125.12 in Stock

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,272 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total transaction of $169,125.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 109,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,492,640. The trade was a 1.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

First Solar Trading Down 2.2 %

Shares of FSLR opened at $136.04 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $164.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $192.76. The company has a market cap of $14.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. First Solar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $124.96 and a twelve month high of $306.77.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.81 by ($1.16). First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. The firm had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. As a group, analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on FSLR. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of First Solar from $246.00 to $236.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on First Solar from $307.00 to $267.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Seaport Res Ptn raised First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on First Solar from $297.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of First Solar from $254.00 to $236.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, First Solar presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.08.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Solar

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC purchased a new stake in First Solar in the third quarter worth $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of First Solar in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in First Solar by 214.0% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in First Solar by 31.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in First Solar in the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Company 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.