Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Has $2.54 Million Holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. boosted its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 23.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 14,384 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,734 shares during the quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings in First Solar were worth $2,535,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in First Solar by 60.0% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 7,457 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $1,860,000 after buying an additional 2,796 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar in the third quarter valued at about $360,000. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 10.8% during the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 2,027 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $506,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in First Solar by 3,853.3% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,186 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of FSLR stock opened at $126.60 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.55 billion, a PE ratio of 10.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52. First Solar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $124.32 and a 52-week high of $306.77. The business’s fifty day moving average is $151.59 and its 200 day moving average is $185.87. 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 (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.81 by ($1.16). First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The business had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.48 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In other First Solar news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.60, for a total value of $1,021,085.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $484,793.40. This represents a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.09, for a total transaction of $3,039,360.78. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,403 shares in the company, valued at $14,589,129.27. This trade represents a 17.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158 over the last three months. 0.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FSLR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of First Solar from $307.00 to $267.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of First Solar from $246.00 to $236.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of First Solar from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $280.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of First Solar from $280.00 to $251.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, First Solar presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.08.

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.