Stephens Inc. AR Has $8.37 Million Stock Holdings in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Stephens Inc. AR grew its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 30.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 32,055 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,496 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in First Solar were worth $8,374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in First Solar by 1.7% during the third quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,287 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $504,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in First Solar by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,606 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $942,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC boosted its position in First Solar by 0.6% during the third quarter. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC now owns 8,116 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $1,790,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its position in First Solar by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 367 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Rathbones Group PLC boosted its position in First Solar by 1.0% during the third quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 4,930 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $1,087,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on shares of First Solar from $312.00 to $269.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Evercore upped their price objective on First Solar from $212.00 to $219.00 in a report on Monday, May 4th. HSBC upped their price objective on First Solar from $211.00 to $231.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Freedom Capital raised First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on First Solar from $258.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $247.03.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 9,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,966,257. The trade was a 47.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 3,426 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.93, for a total value of $671,256.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,632,880.62. This trade represents a 29.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 92,430 shares of company stock valued at $18,670,055 over the last 90 days. 0.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

First Solar Stock Up 0.8%

FSLR opened at $233.37 on Friday. First Solar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $135.50 and a fifty-two week high of $285.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a current ratio of 2.56. The company has a market capitalization of $25.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.57. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $200.53 and a 200-day moving average of $231.41.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.35. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 30.73%.The company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.64 EPS for the current year.

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.