B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 16,247 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock, valued at approximately $4,053,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in First Solar in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Solar during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in First Solar during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in First Solar by 411.1% during the second quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 138 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in First Solar in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on FSLR. Citigroup upgraded shares of First Solar from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $200.00 to $254.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of First Solar from $271.00 to $266.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of First Solar from $280.00 to $252.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Roth Mkm decreased their price objective on shares of First Solar from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded First Solar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $280.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $280.50.

View Our Latest Report on FSLR

NASDAQ:FSLR opened at $184.84 on Thursday. 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 fifty day simple moving average of $214.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $225.70. First Solar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $135.88 and a 12 month high of $306.77. The company has a market capitalization of $19.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.92, a PEG ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.48.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) 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). First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The firm had revenue of $887.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.50 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.16 earnings per share for the current year.

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.

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