Moors & Cabot Inc. Has $252,000 Stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,428 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in First Solar were worth $252,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 214.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 31.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FSLR has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group dropped their price target on First Solar from $360.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $230.00 price target (down from $260.00) on shares of First Solar in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Seaport Res Ptn raised First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on First Solar from $240.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on First Solar from $254.00 to $236.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Solar news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 419 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total transaction of $55,710.24. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $624,247.20. The trade was a 8.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,272 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total value of $169,125.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,000 shares in the company, valued at $14,492,640. The trade was a 1.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 30,739 shares of company stock worth $4,289,403 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of FSLR opened at $132.51 on Monday. First Solar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $124.96 and a 52-week high of $306.77. The business’s fifty day moving average is $162.48 and its 200-day moving average is $191.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 2.14. The firm has a market cap of $14.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.41, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.81 by ($1.16). The firm had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. Equities analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.