First Solar, Inc. $FSLR Shares Sold by Banque Cantonale Vaudoise

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise reduced its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 29.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 12,925 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after selling 5,320 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in First Solar were worth $3,377,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 117.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 102 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Solar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Solar news, insider Georges Antoun sold 566 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total value of $122,046.58. Following the sale, the insider owned 19,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,294,918.34. The trade was a 2.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Michael Koralewski sold 215 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total value of $46,360.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 14,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,157,254.46. The trade was a 1.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 92,430 shares of company stock valued at $18,670,055 over the last quarter. 0.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

First Solar Stock Up 7.3%

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR opened at $237.86 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $25.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.37, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a quick ratio of 2.15, a current ratio of 2.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. First Solar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $135.50 and a 52-week high of $285.99. The business’s 50 day moving average is $202.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.14.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 30.73%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.95 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.64 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FSLR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho decreased their price objective on First Solar from $271.00 to $243.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 27th. Argus upped their price objective on First Solar from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on First Solar from $280.00 to $250.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on First Solar from $252.00 to $237.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $247.03.

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.