Schroder Investment Management Group Has $237.41 Million Holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Schroder Investment Management Group increased its holdings in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,347,095 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 92,881 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in First Solar were worth $237,412,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FSLR. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 47.0% in the fourth quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,859 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $856,000 after buying an additional 1,554 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in First Solar by 665.8% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 39,192 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $7,308,000 after acquiring an additional 34,074 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of First Solar by 36.9% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 21,446 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $5,350,000 after acquiring an additional 5,780 shares during the last quarter. Paragon Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First Solar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,240,000. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its stake in shares of First Solar by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 595,267 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $104,910,000 after purchasing an additional 49,074 shares during the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 380 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total value of $50,825.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 17,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,353,197.50. This trade represents a 2.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.60, for a total transaction of $1,021,085.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,549 shares in the company, valued at $484,793.40. This trade represents a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158. 0.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FSLR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of First Solar from $282.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. 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 decreased their price target on First Solar from $297.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Barclays dropped their price objective on First Solar from $273.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $230.00 target price (down previously from $260.00) on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy 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 $262.08.

First Solar Stock Up 0.6 %

First Solar stock opened at $127.32 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $150.28 and a 200-day moving average of $185.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. First Solar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $124.32 and a twelve month high of $306.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.63 billion, a PE ratio of 10.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.81 by ($1.16). The company had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.