Alexander R. Bradley Sells 599 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Stock

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 599 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total value of $80,116.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 45,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,114,648.75. This trade represents a 1.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

First Solar Stock Down 4.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR traded down $5.69 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $127.34. 3,015,970 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,556,447. 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 stock has a market cap of $13.63 billion, a PE ratio of 10.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52. The company’s fifty day moving average is $159.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $189.73. First Solar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $124.96 and a fifty-two week high of $306.77.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC bought a new stake in First Solar during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in First Solar by 214.0% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in First Solar by 31.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. bought a new stake in First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on FSLR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on First Solar from $282.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. StockNews.com raised First Solar from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $230.00 target price (down from $260.00) on shares of First Solar in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on First Solar from $297.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on First Solar from $273.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 28th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.08.

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.