Xponance Inc. Boosts Holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Xponance Inc. grew its position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,297 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 429 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in First Solar were worth $2,635,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Baystate Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. First Pacific Financial acquired a new position in shares of First Solar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Estabrook Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of First Solar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Headinvest LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Solar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on FSLR shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of First Solar from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $187.00 to $250.00 in a report on Friday. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $269.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday, April 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $236.00 target price on the stock. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, DZ Bank started coverage on shares of First Solar in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $205.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $229.68.

First Solar Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FSLR opened at $176.28 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $161.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $156.46. First Solar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $129.21 and a 12 month high of $232.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.55 and a quick ratio of 2.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.41.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.19 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.31 billion. First Solar had a net margin of 25.03% and a return on equity of 13.80%. First Solar’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.07) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In other First Solar news, insider Georges Antoun sold 16,667 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.55, for a total value of $2,592,551.85. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,041 shares in the company, valued at $6,539,477.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other First Solar news, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 1,937 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $338,975.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 12,536 shares in the company, valued at $2,193,800. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Georges Antoun sold 16,667 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.55, for a total transaction of $2,592,551.85. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 42,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,539,477.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 26,620 shares of company stock worth $4,269,540. 0.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.