First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Bought by Cozad Asset Management Inc.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,930 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in First Solar were worth $340,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Solar by 214.0% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Solar by 31.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in First Solar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Solar Stock Down 4.3 %

First Solar stock opened at $127.34 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $13.63 billion, a PE ratio of 10.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 2.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $159.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $189.73. First Solar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $124.96 and a twelve month high of $306.77.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. The business had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. On average, research analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Mizuho raised shares of First Solar from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $218.00 to $259.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of First Solar from $297.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of First Solar from $273.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 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. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of First Solar from $254.00 to $236.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, First Solar currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.09, for a total transaction of $3,039,360.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,589,129.27. This represents a 17.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 599 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total transaction of $80,116.25. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,114,648.75. This represents a 1.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 34,311 shares of company stock valued at $4,767,158. Company insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

About First Solar

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.