First Solar, Inc. $FSLR Holdings Boosted by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 582.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 244,399 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 208,585 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.23% of First Solar worth $63,844,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in FSLR. Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 9,044 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,143,000 after acquiring an additional 2,615 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank grew its position in First Solar by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 308,400 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $51,053,000 after purchasing an additional 21,500 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in First Solar by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 162,273 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $26,863,000 after purchasing an additional 11,961 shares during the last quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 25.4% in the second quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 2,377 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $393,000 after purchasing an additional 481 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 2.3% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 206,934 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $34,256,000 after purchasing an additional 4,597 shares during the period. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Solar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting First Solar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals: the company reported revenue that beat Street expectations and retains strong profitability metrics (high net margin and healthy return on equity), which supports valuation arguments after the stock pulled back from recent highs.
• Positive Sentiment: “3 Reasons We Love First Solar” highlights longer‑term growth drivers and argues the recent pullback offers a buying opportunity for patient investors. 3 Reasons We Love First Solar (FSLR)
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reports published for March show anomalous data (reported as 0 shares and NaN changes across several feeds). This looks like a data glitch rather than a genuine surge in shorting activity; therefore short‑interest signals are inconclusive today.
• Negative Sentiment: Negative media takes: “Bear of the Day” pieces argue First Solar hasn’t benefited from higher fossil‑fuel prices and highlight downside risks, which can weigh on sentiment. Bear Of The Day: First Solar (FSLR) Zacks Bear Of The Day
• Negative Sentiment: Investor litigation risk: Pomerantz LLP has opened an investigation into First Solar, which can increase legal overhang and investor uncertainty until resolved. Pomerantz Investigates First Solar
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings context: the company’s latest quarter showed a revenue beat but an EPS miss vs. consensus, which helps explain recent downside pressure and keeps some traders cautious.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 3,640 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.95, for a total value of $716,898.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 8,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,582,887.15. This trade represents a 31.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Jason E. Dymbort sold 9,022 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.62, for a total value of $1,800,971.64. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 9,850 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,966,257. The trade was a 47.81% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 75,989 shares of company stock worth $14,921,902 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Price Performance

NASDAQ FSLR opened at $192.85 on Wednesday. First Solar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $116.56 and a 1 year high of $285.99. The business’s fifty day moving average is $219.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $236.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.57, a P/E/G ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.67.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $4.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.22 by ($0.38). The company had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 29.28%.The business’s revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.65 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on First Solar from $316.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on First Solar from $303.00 to $256.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on First Solar in a research report on Monday, January 12th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of First Solar in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, DZ Bank raised First Solar to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $248.17.

First Solar Company Profile

First Solar, Inc (NASDAQ: FSLR) is a United States–based solar technology company best known for designing and manufacturing thin‑film photovoltaic (PV) modules that use cadmium telluride (CdTe) semiconductor technology. The company supplies PV modules and delivers integrated solar power solutions for utility‑scale projects, positioning itself as a provider of both components and complete solar energy systems rather than solely a parts supplier. First Solar was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.

Beyond module manufacturing, First Solar offers a range of project services including development support, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services, and operations and maintenance (O&M) for large-scale solar installations.