First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-five analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $271.2654.

Several brokerages have recently commented on FSLR. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of First Solar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of First Solar from $198.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. UBS Group upped their target price on First Solar from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Bank of America lifted their price target on First Solar from $209.00 to $254.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price target on First Solar from $273.00 to $285.00 in a report on Friday, October 31st.

First Solar Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR opened at $274.34 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $261.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $217.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.44 billion, a PE ratio of 21.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 1.55. First Solar has a fifty-two week low of $116.56 and a fifty-two week high of $285.99.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $4.24 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.32 by ($0.08). First Solar had a return on equity of 16.61% and a net margin of 27.73%.The company had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.91 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 79.7% on a year-over-year basis. First Solar has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.000-15.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that First Solar will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Georges Antoun sold 37,412 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.01, for a total transaction of $9,914,554.12. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 15,424 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,087,514.24. The trade was a 70.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul H. Stebbins sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.40, for a total transaction of $1,836,800.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 15,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,011,308.80. This represents a 31.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 48,912 shares of company stock valued at $12,971,349. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of First Solar

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of First Solar in the 2nd quarter valued at $212,621,000. Viking Global Investors LP increased its holdings in First Solar by 60.6% in the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,266,050 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $375,122,000 after purchasing an additional 854,919 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in First Solar by 38.6% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 2,025,835 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $459,917,000 after purchasing an additional 564,032 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in shares of First Solar by 22,107.8% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 512,556 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $64,802,000 after purchasing an additional 510,248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 3.5% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,721,979 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $3,026,108,000 after purchasing an additional 464,130 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Company Profile

First Solar, Inc (NASDAQ: FSLR) is a United States–based solar technology company best known for designing and manufacturing thin‑film photovoltaic (PV) modules that use cadmium telluride (CdTe) semiconductor technology. The company supplies PV modules and delivers integrated solar power solutions for utility‑scale projects, positioning itself as a provider of both components and complete solar energy systems rather than solely a parts supplier. First Solar was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.

Beyond module manufacturing, First Solar offers a range of project services including development support, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services, and operations and maintenance (O&M) for large-scale solar installations.