SG Americas Securities LLC Has $25.70 Million Stock Holdings in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 297.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 98,381 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 73,625 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in First Solar were worth $25,700,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,721,979 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $3,026,108,000 after buying an additional 464,130 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in First Solar by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,326,082 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $881,680,000 after acquiring an additional 111,927 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP raised its holdings in First Solar by 60.6% in the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,266,050 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $375,122,000 after acquiring an additional 854,919 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its position in First Solar by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,025,835 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $459,917,000 after acquiring an additional 564,032 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its holdings in First Solar by 3.7% during the second quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,350,084 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $223,493,000 after acquiring an additional 47,646 shares during the period. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 14,106 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total transaction of $2,820,776.82. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 30,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,999,100. This trade represents a 31.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Caroline Stockdale sold 335 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.80, for a total value of $67,268.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 34,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,839,248. This represents a 0.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 75,989 shares of company stock worth $14,921,902. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FSLR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on First Solar from $286.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Freedom Capital cut First Solar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on First Solar from $275.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Guggenheim lowered their target price on First Solar from $312.00 to $269.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price target on First Solar from $215.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $248.17.

First Solar Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FSLR opened at $185.83 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $217.77 and its 200-day moving average is $235.67. The company has a market cap of $19.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.08, a PEG ratio of 0.34 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $116.56 and a 52-week high of $285.99.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its earnings results 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). First Solar had a net margin of 29.28% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The company had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.65 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current year.

About First Solar

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.