First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $229.68.

Several analysts have recently commented on FSLR shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $258.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $269.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a research report on Wednesday. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of First Solar from $188.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of First Solar from $187.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th.

First Solar Trading Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ FSLR opened at $175.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.55 and a quick ratio of 2.92. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $161.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $156.18. The company has a market capitalization of $18.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 1.41. First Solar has a 12 month low of $129.21 and a 12 month high of $232.00.

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

Insider Transactions at First Solar

In other news, insider Georges Antoun sold 2,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.00, for a total transaction of $422,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 37,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,584,512. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Georges Antoun sold 2,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.00, for a total value of $422,400.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 37,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,584,512. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 1,937 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $338,975.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 12,536 shares in the company, valued at $2,193,800. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 26,620 shares of company stock valued at $4,269,540. Corporate insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of First Solar

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FSLR. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in First Solar in the first quarter valued at $25,000. First Pacific Financial acquired a new stake in First Solar in the third quarter valued at $27,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. acquired a new stake in First Solar in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Estabrook Capital Management bought a new stake in First Solar during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Baystate Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Solar Company 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.