BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Acquires 15,890 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 0.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,743,813 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,890 shares during the quarter. First Solar makes up about 1.1% of BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest position. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. owned 1.63% of First Solar worth $434,977,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of FSLR. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in First Solar in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of First Solar during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 411.1% during the 2nd quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 138 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Solar during the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Solar Stock Performance

First Solar stock opened at $184.84 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $19.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $214.57 and a 200-day moving average of $225.70. First Solar, Inc. has a 52 week low of $135.88 and a 52 week high of $306.77.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.10 by ($0.19). First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. The firm had revenue of $887.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FSLR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of First Solar from $325.00 to $326.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of First Solar from $274.00 to $257.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of First Solar from $271.00 to $266.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of First Solar to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of First Solar from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.50.

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.