Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. Acquires 14,209 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 321.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,635 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,209 shares during the period. First Solar makes up 2.4% of Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in First Solar were worth $3,284,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of First Solar by 47.0% during the 4th quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,859 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $856,000 after purchasing an additional 1,554 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in First Solar by 665.8% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 39,192 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $7,308,000 after acquiring an additional 34,074 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 36.9% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 21,446 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $5,350,000 after purchasing an additional 5,780 shares during the period. Paragon Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar during the fourth quarter worth about $1,240,000. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 595,267 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $104,910,000 after purchasing an additional 49,074 shares in the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

First Solar Stock Up 7.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR opened at $129.63 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. First Solar, Inc. has a 52 week low of $116.56 and a 52 week high of $306.77. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $141.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $177.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.48.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on FSLR. Citigroup cut their price target on First Solar from $254.00 to $236.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. StockNews.com raised First Solar from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on First Solar from $360.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Mizuho upgraded First Solar from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $218.00 to $259.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, 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. Four equities 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $257.42.

Insider Activity

In other First Solar news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.09, for a total transaction of $3,039,360.78. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,403 shares in the company, valued at $14,589,129.27. This represents a 17.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.60, for a total transaction of $1,021,085.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $484,793.40. The trade was a 67.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,311 shares of company stock valued at $4,767,158 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

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.