Moors & Cabot Inc. Buys 115 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 8.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,428 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in First Solar were worth $252,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar during the third quarter worth $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 214.0% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 31.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of First Solar during the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First Solar during the fourth quarter valued at $53,000. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Stock Down 0.2 %

NASDAQ:FSLR opened at $132.51 on Monday. 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 company has a market cap of $14.19 billion, a PE ratio of 11.41, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52. First Solar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $124.96 and a 52-week high of $306.77. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $162.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $191.07.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.81 by ($1.16). The firm had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on FSLR shares. StockNews.com raised First Solar from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on First Solar in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on First Solar from $307.00 to $267.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on First Solar from $297.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on First Solar from $246.00 to $236.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from 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, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.60, for a total transaction of $1,021,085.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $484,793.40. This trade represents a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,272 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total value of $169,125.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 109,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,492,640. The trade was a 1.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 30,739 shares of company stock worth $4,289,403. 0.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

First Solar 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.