Nia Impact Advisors LLC Has $6.29 Million Stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Nia Impact Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,675 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 2,080 shares during the quarter. First Solar comprises approximately 2.0% of Nia Impact Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Nia Impact Advisors LLC’s holdings in First Solar were worth $6,287,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in First Solar by 31.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. bought a new position in First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new position in First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new position in First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

First Solar Stock Up 22.7%

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR opened at $191.60 on Wednesday. First Solar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $116.56 and a 12 month high of $306.77. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.50, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.46. The business has a 50-day moving average of $132.05 and a 200-day moving average of $163.45.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $1.95 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.50 by ($0.55). First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. The business had revenue of $844.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $863.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.20 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other First Solar news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.09, for a total value of $3,039,360.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 103,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,589,129.27. This represents a 17.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.60, for a total value of $1,021,085.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $484,793.40. This represents a 67.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,311 shares of company stock valued at $4,767,158 over the last quarter. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on FSLR. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on First Solar from $267.00 to $240.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Barclays lowered their target price on First Solar from $236.00 to $204.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Oppenheimer cut First Solar from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Wolfe Research upgraded First Solar from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $221.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on First Solar from $235.00 to $204.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $223.76.

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.