Caroline Stockdale Sells 10,628 Shares of First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Stock

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) insider Caroline Stockdale sold 10,628 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.60, for a total value of $2,929,076.80. Following the sale, the insider owned 23,792 shares in the company, valued at $6,557,075.20. The trade was a 30.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Caroline Stockdale also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, May 5th, Caroline Stockdale sold 262 shares of First Solar stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total value of $56,495.06.
• On Monday, March 16th, Caroline Stockdale sold 335 shares of First Solar stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.80, for a total value of $67,268.00.
• On Monday, March 9th, Caroline Stockdale sold 1,041 shares of First Solar stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.36, for a total transaction of $198,164.76.
• On Tuesday, March 3rd, Caroline Stockdale sold 1,650 shares of First Solar stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.93, for a total transaction of $323,284.50.

First Solar Price Performance

Shares of FSLR opened at $311.01 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $215.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.65. First Solar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $135.50 and a 1-year high of $313.75. The company has a market cap of $33.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.70.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.35. First Solar had a net margin of 30.73% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on FSLR shares. Barclays reduced their price target on First Solar from $228.00 to $213.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. DZ Bank raised First Solar to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Wolfe Research downgraded First Solar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut First Solar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $300.00 to $245.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price target (down from $264.00) on shares of First Solar in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, First Solar currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $247.40.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FSLR. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in First Solar during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 117.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 102 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

About First Solar

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.