First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Shares Purchased by Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 1.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,152 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV’s holdings in First Solar were worth $2,063,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in First Solar by 6.3% in the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 259,177 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $43,749,000 after buying an additional 15,430 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of First Solar by 20.3% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 121,055 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $20,434,000 after acquiring an additional 20,465 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in First Solar by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,020,527 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $175,816,000 after purchasing an additional 16,756 shares during the last quarter. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in First Solar in the first quarter valued at approximately $759,000. Finally, Burford Brothers Inc. purchased a new position in First Solar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,539,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FSLR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (up previously from $230.00) on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday, May 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on First Solar from $215.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 28th. Barclays upped their target price on First Solar from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on First Solar from $258.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of First Solar from $344.00 to $307.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.46.

First Solar Price Performance

First Solar stock opened at $249.28 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $26.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.44. First Solar, Inc. has a one year low of $129.21 and a one year high of $306.77. The business has a fifty day moving average of $222.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $214.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 2.23.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Solar news, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 8,619 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 3,468 shares in the company, valued at $769,896. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other First Solar news, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 8,619 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.00, for a total value of $1,913,418.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $769,896. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Byron Michael Jeffers sold 1,766 shares of the firm’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 directly owns 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $108,250. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,885 shares of company stock worth $2,405,757 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Company 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.