Courier Capital LLC Sells 224 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Courier Capital LLC trimmed its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,513 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after selling 224 shares during the period. Courier Capital LLC’s holdings in First Solar were worth $2,672,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FSLR. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in First Solar by 160.6% in the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 26,796 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $2,244,000 after acquiring an additional 16,515 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in First Solar by 13.8% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 8,472 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $710,000 after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its stake in First Solar by 71.0% in the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 7,464 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $625,000 after purchasing an additional 3,100 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its stake in First Solar by 1.8% in the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 50,128 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $4,198,000 after purchasing an additional 890 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in First Solar by 11.6% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 25,804 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $2,161,000 after purchasing an additional 2,691 shares in the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In other First Solar news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 787 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $125,920.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $787,200. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 787 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $125,920.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $787,200. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Georges Antoun sold 16,667 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.55, for a total transaction of $2,592,551.85. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 42,041 shares in the company, valued at $6,539,477.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 19,883 shares of company stock valued at $3,100,837 in the last ninety days. 0.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

First Solar Price Performance

Shares of First Solar stock opened at $167.45 on Thursday. First Solar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $129.21 and a twelve month high of $232.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.92, a current ratio of 3.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $151.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $155.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 1.41.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.19 by $0.06. First Solar had a net margin of 25.03% and a return on equity of 13.80%. The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.07) EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on FSLR shares. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on First Solar from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on First Solar from $268.00 to $269.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley raised First Solar from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $214.00 to $237.00 in a research note on Friday, December 8th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on First Solar in a research note on Friday, December 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $211.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $231.48.

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.