Groupe la Francaise Sells 13,657 Shares of First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Groupe la Francaise lowered its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 23.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 44,673 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after selling 13,657 shares during the quarter. Groupe la Francaise’s holdings in First Solar were worth $7,366,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of FSLR. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its stake in First Solar by 126.9% in the second quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 152 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 138.9% in the second quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 172 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 69.4% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 183 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Advisors bought a new position in shares of First Solar during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of First Solar from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday, October 31st. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday, October 31st. Susquehanna upped their target price on First Solar from $273.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC started coverage on First Solar in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $286.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $269.79.

Insider Activity at First Solar

In other First Solar news, insider Georges Antoun sold 37,412 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.01, for a total value of $9,914,554.12. Following the sale, the insider owned 15,424 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,087,514.24. The trade was a 70.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Paul H. Stebbins sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.40, for a total value of $1,836,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 15,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,011,308.80. The trade was a 31.41% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 48,912 shares of company stock valued at $12,971,349 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Price Performance

FSLR stock opened at $262.56 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $28.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.17, a PEG ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $245.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $202.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 1.91. First Solar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $116.56 and a 52-week high of $281.55.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $4.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.32 by ($0.08). First Solar had a return on equity of 16.61% and a net margin of 27.73%.The business had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.91 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 79.7% on a year-over-year basis. First Solar has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.000-15.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current year.

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.