MUFG Securities EMEA plc Has $1.15 Million Holdings in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

MUFG Securities EMEA plc raised its holdings in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 114.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,402 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,349 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc’s holdings in First Solar were worth $1,150,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in First Solar by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,287 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $504,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in First Solar by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,606 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $942,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Burford Brothers Inc. lifted its position in First Solar by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Burford Brothers Inc. now owns 19,080 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $4,984,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its position in First Solar by 15.8% during the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 367 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Rathbones Group PLC lifted its position in First Solar by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 4,930 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,087,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FSLR opened at $311.01 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $33.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.70. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $215.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 2.56 and a quick ratio of 2.15. First Solar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $135.50 and a fifty-two week high of $313.75.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of First Solar from $300.00 to $243.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. HSBC upped their target price on shares of First Solar from $211.00 to $231.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of First Solar from $252.00 to $237.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of First Solar from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Argus upped their target price on shares of First Solar from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $247.40.

Insider Activity

In other First Solar news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 582 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $145,500.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 4,967 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,241,750. This trade represents a 10.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Georges Antoun sold 566 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total transaction of $122,046.58. Following the sale, the insider owned 19,918 shares in the company, valued at $4,294,918.34. This trade represents a 2.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 76,480 shares of company stock worth $16,668,515. Corporate insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Company Profile

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.