SG Americas Securities LLC Has $11.34 Million Position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 92.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 64,339 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 30,969 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned about 0.06% of First Solar worth $11,339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in First Solar during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC purchased a new position in First Solar during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in First Solar in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Solar by 214.0% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 555.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 236 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on FSLR. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $260.00 target price (down previously from $286.00) on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of First Solar from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. StockNews.com raised shares of First Solar from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of First Solar from $311.00 to $279.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of First Solar from $315.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, First Solar presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.75.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR opened at $174.11 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.00, a PEG ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 1.49. First Solar, Inc. has a one year low of $135.88 and a one year high of $306.77. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $189.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $208.59. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by ($0.19). The business had revenue of $887.70 million for 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%. First Solar’s revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.50 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.07 EPS for the current year.

About First Solar

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.