First Solar, Inc. $FSLR Shares Bought by National Pension Service

National Pension Service grew its holdings in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 24.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,419 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 8,036 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in First Solar were worth $9,134,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in FSLR. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in First Solar by 0.4% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,257,849 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $2,194,704,000 after acquiring an additional 57,507 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of First Solar by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,326,082 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $881,680,000 after purchasing an additional 111,927 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of First Solar by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,857,848 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $471,927,000 after purchasing an additional 26,476 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 60.6% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,266,050 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $375,122,000 after purchasing an additional 854,919 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in First Solar by 3.7% in the second quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,350,084 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $223,493,000 after purchasing an additional 47,646 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Solar news, Director Paul H. Stebbins sold 7,000 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.40, for a total transaction of $1,836,800.00. Following the sale, the director owned 15,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,011,308.80. The trade was a 31.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael T. Sweeney sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.11, for a total value of $1,219,995.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 13,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,703,904.82. This trade represents a 24.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Stock Up 3.7%

FSLR stock opened at $239.04 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $25.65 billion, a PE ratio of 18.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.60. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $254.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.16. First Solar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $116.56 and a fifty-two week high of $285.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on First Solar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $316.00 price target on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday, October 31st. Glj Research raised their price objective on First Solar from $214.06 to $314.43 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Wolfe Research lifted their price objective on shares of First Solar from $232.00 to $247.00 in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $279.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $275.94.

First Solar Profile

First Solar, Inc (NASDAQ: FSLR) is a United States–based solar technology company best known for designing and manufacturing thin‑film photovoltaic (PV) modules that use cadmium telluride (CdTe) semiconductor technology. The company supplies PV modules and delivers integrated solar power solutions for utility‑scale projects, positioning itself as a provider of both components and complete solar energy systems rather than solely a parts supplier. First Solar was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.

Beyond module manufacturing, First Solar offers a range of project services including development support, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services, and operations and maintenance (O&M) for large-scale solar installations.