First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Acquired by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 26.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,249,600 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 261,480 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 1.17% of First Solar worth $220,250,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FSLR. Virtu Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Solar by 38.5% during the third quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 8,041 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $2,006,000 after buying an additional 2,235 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 12,449 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $3,105,000 after purchasing an additional 1,199 shares during the last quarter. Blankinship & Foster LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 3rd quarter valued at $935,000. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of First Solar by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 24,553 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $6,125,000 after buying an additional 6,135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of First Solar by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 131,634 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $32,835,000 after buying an additional 12,439 shares during the period. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,966 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total value of $262,952.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,890 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,965,287.50. This trade represents a 1.73 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 380 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total transaction of $50,825.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 17,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,353,197.50. This represents a 2.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

First Solar Stock Performance

First Solar stock opened at $135.35 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $14.49 billion, a PE ratio of 11.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.48. First Solar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $116.56 and a 12 month high of $306.77. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $134.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $170.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.44.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.81 by ($1.16). The company had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. Research analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FSLR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Mizuho upgraded First Solar from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $218.00 to $259.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $265.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of First Solar from $223.00 to $217.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $230.00 target price (down previously from $260.00) on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of First Solar from $282.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, First Solar presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $250.58.

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.