Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Has $3.70 Million Stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lifted its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 27.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 21,000 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 4,500 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in First Solar were worth $3,701,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Solar during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in First Solar during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in First Solar by 214.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in First Solar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of First Solar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on FSLR shares. Bank of America cut their target price on First Solar from $246.00 to $236.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of First Solar from $329.00 to $297.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of First Solar from $307.00 to $267.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $335.00 price objective on shares of First Solar in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, First Solar currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $276.38.

First Solar Stock Down 3.6 %

FSLR opened at $147.46 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $174.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $199.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. First Solar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $141.76 and a twelve month high of $306.77. The stock has a market cap of $15.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.70, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.47.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.81 by ($1.16). First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. As a group, equities analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current year.

First Solar Company 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.