Natural Investments LLC Makes New $1.75 Million Investment in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Natural Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 9,921 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,748,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC bought a new stake in First Solar during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of First Solar during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of First Solar by 214.0% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of First Solar by 31.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of First Solar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 419 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total transaction of $55,710.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now 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 SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.09, for a total transaction of $3,039,360.78. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,589,129.27. The trade was a 17.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 30,739 shares of company stock valued at $4,289,403 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Stock Down 4.3 %

Shares of FSLR stock opened at $133.11 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. First Solar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $124.96 and a 1 year high of $306.77. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $166.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $193.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.47, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on FSLR. Mizuho raised shares of First Solar from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $218.00 to $259.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of First Solar from $273.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of First Solar in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of First Solar from $360.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of First Solar from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, First Solar currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.08.

About First Solar

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.