Robert W. Baird reissued their outperform rating on shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) in a research note released on Monday morning, AnalystRatings.Net reports. They currently have a $69.00 price target on the solar cell manufacturer’s stock.

Shares of First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) traded up 0.37% during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $65.88. The stock had a trading volume of 2,228,212 shares. The company has a market cap of $6.65 billion and a P/E ratio of 11.62. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $64.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $53.29. First Solar has a 1-year low of $40.25 and a 1-year high of $72.12.

In other First Solar news, CFO Mark R. Widmar sold 24,095 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total transaction of $1,566,175.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 22,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,480,700. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark R. Widmar sold 88,333 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.07, for a total transaction of $4,864,498.31. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,581,461.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Several hedge funds and institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FSLR. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings raised its position in First Solar by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings now owns 61,178 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $4,037,000 after buying an additional 448 shares during the period. Baker Avenue Asset Management raised its position in First Solar by 5.8% in the third quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management now owns 8,960 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $383,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the period. Capstone Asset Management Company raised its position in First Solar by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Capstone Asset Management Company now owns 18,964 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $1,251,000 after buying an additional 673 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services raised its position in First Solar by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services now owns 19,007 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $1,254,000 after buying an additional 701 shares during the period. Finally, Simplex Trading raised its position in First Solar by 219.9% in the fourth quarter. Simplex Trading now owns 1,091 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $518,000 after buying an additional 750 shares during the period.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Barclays reiterated an overweight rating and issued a $90.00 price target (up from $71.00) on shares of First Solar in a research note on Friday, January 22nd. Standpoint Research upgraded First Solar from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $76.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 15th. Vetr upgraded First Solar from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating and set a $72.88 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 13th. Needham & Company LLC lowered First Solar from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, January 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their target price on First Solar from $66.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $68.58.

First Solar, Inc. is a global provider of solar energy solutions. The Company designs, manufactures and sells photovoltaic (NASDAQ:FSLR) solar modules, and also develops, designs, constructs and sells PV solar power solutions. The Company operates through two segments: components and systems. The Company’s components segment involves the design, manufacture and sale of solar modules, which convert sunlight into electricity. The systems segment provides turn-key PV solar power systems or solar solutions for systems primarily using its solar modules. The Company also manufactures crystalline silicon solar modules and single-axis mounting systems with tracking capabilities. The Company offers its products and services for residential, commercial and industrial applications, including solar power system project developers, system integrators and solar plant operators, throughout the Americas, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Africa.

12 Month Chart for NASDAQ:FSLR

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