First Solar, Inc. $FSLR Shares Purchased by Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. boosted its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 77.3% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 5,390 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,350 shares during the quarter. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s holdings in First Solar were worth $892,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. increased its position in First Solar by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. now owns 1,658 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $210,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in First Solar by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 4,726 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $598,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Harrington Investments INC increased its position in First Solar by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Harrington Investments INC now owns 13,278 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $2,198,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Energy Income Partners LLC increased its position in First Solar by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC now owns 9,257 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,170,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC increased its position in First Solar by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 1,537 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $194,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Nathan B. Theurer sold 686 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.03, for a total value of $124,872.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 23,912 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.47, for a total value of $4,434,958.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 87,978 shares in the company, valued at $16,317,279.66. The trade was a 21.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 30,715 shares of company stock worth $5,733,305 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR opened at $229.00 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59, a PEG ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.38. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $214.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.63. First Solar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $116.56 and a 52-week high of $248.04.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $1.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 15.57% and a net margin of 28.95%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.25 EPS. First Solar has set its FY 2025 guidance at 13.500-16.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on FSLR shares. Glj Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $214.06 target price (up from $172.53) on shares of First Solar in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on First Solar from $194.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on First Solar from $222.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on First Solar from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $244.43.

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.