Buffington Mohr McNeal Purchases 503 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Buffington Mohr McNeal lifted its position in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 10.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,289 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 503 shares during the quarter. Buffington Mohr McNeal’s holdings in First Solar were worth $932,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp raised its stake in First Solar by 2.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,956,633 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,236,383,000 after purchasing an additional 108,984 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in First Solar by 0.9% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,602,503 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $647,440,000 after acquiring an additional 24,143 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in First Solar by 75.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,097,364 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $523,166,000 after acquiring an additional 904,498 shares in the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its stake in shares of First Solar by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 1,743,813 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $434,977,000 after purchasing an additional 15,890 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in First Solar by 7.3% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,330,675 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $331,924,000 after purchasing an additional 90,249 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FSLR opened at $164.31 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.59 billion, a PE ratio of 14.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 2.14. First Solar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $135.88 and a 52-week high of $306.77. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $188.49 and a 200 day moving average of $207.43.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.10 by ($0.19). The business had revenue of $887.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.50 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Susquehanna decreased their price target on First Solar from $280.00 to $252.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of First Solar from $275.00 to $273.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Roth Mkm lowered their target price on shares of First Solar from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of First Solar from $321.00 to $269.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised shares of First Solar to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, First Solar currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.67.

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.