Mirova US LLC Has $9.22 Million Holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Mirova US LLC decreased its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,498 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after selling 877 shares during the period. First Solar comprises about 0.1% of Mirova US LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. Mirova US LLC owned approximately 0.05% of First Solar worth $9,217,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of First Solar by 2.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,040,031 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,945,549,000 after buying an additional 279,424 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of First Solar by 4.4% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,266,552 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $927,972,000 after buying an additional 179,035 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of First Solar by 10.2% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,283,705 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $369,024,000 after buying an additional 211,755 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of First Solar by 2.6% during the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,236,723 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $485,528,000 after buying an additional 56,383 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its position in shares of First Solar by 9.4% during the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,102,959 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $339,817,000 after buying an additional 181,034 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other First Solar news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.34, for a total value of $37,085.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,170 shares in the company, valued at approximately $766,917.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other First Solar news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.34, for a total value of $37,085.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,170 shares in the company, valued at approximately $766,917.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Georges Antoun sold 16,667 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.55, for a total value of $2,592,551.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 42,041 shares in the company, valued at $6,539,477.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 26,620 shares of company stock worth $4,269,540 in the last ninety days. 0.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FSLR traded up $1.90 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $174.98. 641,313 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,046,587. The company has a quick ratio of 2.92, a current ratio of 3.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. First Solar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $129.21 and a 12 month high of $232.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.41. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $159.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $155.77.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.19 by $0.06. First Solar had a return on equity of 13.80% and a net margin of 25.03%. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.07) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on FSLR shares. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and issued a $258.00 price objective on shares of First Solar in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of First Solar in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on First Solar in a research report on Friday, April 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $236.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on First Solar from $268.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut First Solar from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $215.00 to $187.00 in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $227.96.

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.