First Solar, Inc. $FSLR Stock Holdings Lifted by Graham Capital Management L.P.

Graham Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 63.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 98,074 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after acquiring an additional 38,074 shares during the period. First Solar accounts for approximately 0.6% of Graham Capital Management L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Graham Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in First Solar were worth $25,620,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of FSLR. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of First Solar by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 9,044 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,143,000 after buying an additional 2,615 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of First Solar by 50.9% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 516 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its holdings in shares of First Solar by 84.3% in the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,529 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $750,000 after buying an additional 2,072 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of First Solar in the second quarter valued at $494,000. Finally, AXA S.A. increased its holdings in shares of First Solar by 6.3% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 18,862 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $3,122,000 after buying an additional 1,115 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Trading Down 3.3%

NASDAQ FSLR opened at $264.36 on Wednesday. First Solar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $135.50 and a twelve month high of $320.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a current ratio of 2.56. The stock has a market cap of $28.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.08, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.71. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $234.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $233.51.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.35. First Solar had a net margin of 30.73% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.95 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.61 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 498 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total transaction of $107,383.74. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 30,712 shares in the company, valued at $6,622,428.56. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Caroline Stockdale sold 10,628 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.60, for a total transaction of $2,929,076.80. Following the transaction, the insider owned 23,792 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,557,075.20. This represents a 30.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 32,466 shares of company stock worth $8,014,105. 0.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on FSLR shares. HSBC upped their price target on First Solar from $211.00 to $231.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Argus upped their price target on First Solar from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price objective (down from $264.00) on shares of First Solar in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of First Solar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of First Solar from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $250.99.

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.