Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Purchases 64,265 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 8.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 795,393 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 64,265 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.74% of First Solar worth $179,478,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FSLR. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in First Solar by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,257,053 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $2,068,991,000 after acquiring an additional 105,236 shares during the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its stake in First Solar by 11.1% in the first quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 2,801,916 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $472,963,000 after purchasing an additional 279,719 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,454,499 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $422,861,000 after purchasing an additional 351,540 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,020,527 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $175,816,000 after buying an additional 16,756 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of First Solar by 0.4% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 652,354 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $147,080,000 after buying an additional 2,378 shares during the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 8,619 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.00, for a total transaction of $1,913,418.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,468 shares in the company, valued at $769,896. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other First Solar news, CAO Byron Michael Jeffers sold 1,766 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.50, for a total transaction of $382,339.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $108,250. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 8,619 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.00, for a total value of $1,913,418.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $769,896. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,885 shares of company stock worth $2,405,757. Corporate insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of First Solar stock opened at $240.45 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $25.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.44. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $221.75 and its 200-day moving average is $211.92. First Solar, Inc. has a one year low of $129.21 and a one year high of $306.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 1.65.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.69 by $0.56. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.73% and a net margin of 31.98%. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $939.71 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.85 earnings per share. First Solar’s revenue was up 24.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of First Solar from $215.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 28th. Clarkson Capital assumed coverage on shares of First Solar in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on First Solar from $268.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on First Solar from $262.00 to $282.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott cut First Solar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, First Solar has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.46.

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.