Polen Capital Management LLC Lowers Position in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Polen Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLRFree Report) by 26.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,302 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after selling 2,912 shares during the quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC’s holdings in First Solar were worth $2,169,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,721,979 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $3,026,108,000 after purchasing an additional 464,130 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,919,991 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $761,396,000 after purchasing an additional 24,206 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 60.6% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,266,050 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $375,122,000 after purchasing an additional 854,919 shares during the period. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,025,835 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $459,917,000 after purchasing an additional 564,032 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter worth $392,040,000. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of First Solar stock opened at $271.17 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $230.60 and a 200 day moving average of $233.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 2.56 and a quick ratio of 2.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.71. First Solar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $135.50 and a 12 month high of $320.95.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLRGet Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 30.73%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.95 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel Jason E. Dymbort sold 9,022 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.62, for a total value of $1,800,971.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 9,850 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,966,257. This trade represents a 47.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 582 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $145,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 4,967 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,241,750. The trade was a 10.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 60,694 shares of company stock worth $13,659,583. Corporate insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on FSLR. Wolfe Research cut First Solar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Argus raised their target price on First Solar from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Evercore raised their target price on First Solar from $212.00 to $219.00 in a report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on First Solar from $205.00 to $187.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on First Solar from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $248.88.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on First Solar

First Solar Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR)

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