Trust Co. of Vermont Boosts Holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,687 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 336 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in First Solar were worth $1,355,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Trium Capital LLP grew its position in shares of First Solar by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Trium Capital LLP now owns 7,498 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $1,321,000 after buying an additional 1,371 shares during the period. Boston Common Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in First Solar by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC now owns 75,811 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $13,361,000 after acquiring an additional 6,377 shares in the last quarter. Bouvel Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in First Solar by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Bouvel Investment Partners LLC now owns 16,514 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $2,910,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Beech Hill Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Beech Hill Advisors Inc. now owns 27,123 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $4,780,000 after purchasing an additional 683 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirador Capital Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 34.6% during the fourth quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP now owns 2,275 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares during the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on FSLR. Seaport Res Ptn raised First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Truist Financial started coverage on First Solar in a report on Thursday, September 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of First Solar from $240.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded shares of First Solar from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of First Solar from $321.00 to $269.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, First Solar currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $277.75.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR opened at $192.88 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $135.88 and a 12-month high of $306.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 1.49. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $190.18 and a 200 day moving average of $209.78.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.10 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $887.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.50 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.09 earnings per share for the current year.

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.