First Solar, Inc. $FSLR Stock: Slow Capital Inc. Grows Stake

Slow Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 94.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,124 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,340 shares during the period. Slow Capital Inc.’s holdings in First Solar were worth $2,649,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FSLR. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC increased its position in First Solar by 2.3% during the second quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 2,026 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $478,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Burford Brothers Inc. raised its holdings in First Solar by 0.3% during the first quarter. Burford Brothers Inc. now owns 19,131 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $3,774,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 3.5% in the first quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 1,608 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 0.3% in the second quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 17,102 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $3,973,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cox Capital Mgt LLC lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 0.4% in the third quarter. Cox Capital Mgt LLC now owns 13,989 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $2,450,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel Jason Dymbort sold 3,700 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total value of $922,706.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 5,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,402,513.12. The trade was a 39.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 3,425 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.95, for a total value of $749,903.75. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 7,471 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,635,775.45. This represents a 31.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 16,681 shares of company stock valued at $3,756,286. Company insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on FSLR. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday, July 24th. Mizuho set a $324.00 price objective on First Solar in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. HSBC upgraded First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Argus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $275.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of First Solar in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $265.73.

Key First Solar News

Here are the key news stories impacting First Solar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital issued a Buy rating on First Solar, providing a constructive analyst signal that may support investor confidence in the company’s long-term growth prospects. First Solar Gets a Buy from BMO Capital
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and investors are focused on whether U.S. demand for domestically manufactured solar panels is strengthening. Firm domestic demand could benefit First Solar’s production utilization and revenue outlook. Is Domestic Panel Demand Firming for First Solar?
• Neutral Sentiment: First Solar is scheduled to report quarterly earnings, making the upcoming results, management guidance and commentary on demand key near-term catalysts. First Solar Projected to Announce Quarterly Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention has increased, with First Solar appearing among trending stocks. The heightened visibility could increase trading activity but does not itself change the company’s fundamentals. First Solar Is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage is also highlighting First Solar’s substantial cash position, which may provide financial flexibility for expansion and help cushion periods of industry volatility. Should You Buy First Solar Stock For Its Cash?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks reported that First Solar underperformed the broader market in the latest session, reflecting near-term selling pressure. First Solar Declines More Than the Market
• Negative Sentiment: Pre-earnings analysis says First Solar lacks the combination of earnings-estimate revisions and surprise indicators typically associated with a likely earnings beat. That raises the risk of a cautious reaction if results or guidance disappoint. First Solar Earnings Expected to Grow

First Solar Price Performance

Shares of FSLR opened at $171.99 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $18.48 billion, a PE ratio of 10.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.80. First Solar, Inc. has a one year low of $168.60 and a one year high of $320.95. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $192.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $218.37.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $1.02. First Solar had a net margin of 32.47% and a return on equity of 18.02%. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.18 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.63 earnings per share for the current year.

First Solar Profile

First Solar, Inc is a vertically integrated solar technology and manufacturing company that designs, manufactures and sells photovoltaic (PV) solar modules. Its modules use advanced thin-film semiconductor technology based on cadmium telluride (CdTe), rather than the crystalline-silicon technology used by most solar manufacturers. The company serves utility-scale solar developers, commercial and industrial customers, and other large-scale energy users.

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, First Solar operates research and development, manufacturing and recycling facilities in the United States and internationally.