USCF Advisers LLC Purchases 100 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

USCF Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 100.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 200 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. First Solar comprises 8.6% of USCF Advisers LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. USCF Advisers LLC’s holdings in First Solar were worth $34,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of FSLR. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of First Solar by 0.5% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 18,634 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $3,011,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management lifted its position in First Solar by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 12,294 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,987,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of First Solar by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 445 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Guinness Atkinson Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of First Solar by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Guinness Atkinson Asset Management Inc now owns 7,409 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $1,197,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, ABLE Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in First Solar by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. ABLE Financial Group LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on FSLR. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $258.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday, April 5th. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on First Solar in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $236.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $269.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. DZ Bank began coverage on First Solar in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $205.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of First Solar from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $187.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.36.

First Solar Stock Up 2.1 %

NASDAQ:FSLR traded up $3.62 on Friday, hitting $178.64. 627,321 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,067,278. The company has a market cap of $19.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $162.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $156.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.55 and a quick ratio of 2.92. First Solar, Inc. has a 52 week low of $129.21 and a 52 week high of $232.00.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.19 by $0.06. First Solar had a return on equity of 13.80% and a net margin of 25.03%. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.07) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In other news, insider Georges Antoun sold 16,667 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.55, for a total value of $2,592,551.85. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,539,477.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director R Craig Kennedy sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.76, for a total value of $236,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 15,641 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,467,524.16. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Georges Antoun sold 16,667 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.55, for a total transaction of $2,592,551.85. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 42,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,539,477.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 26,620 shares of company stock valued at $4,269,540 in the last quarter. 0.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.