First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Stock Rating Upgraded by DZ Bank

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) was upgraded by analysts at DZ Bank to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded First Solar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $300.00 to $245.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore raised their target price on First Solar from $240.90 to $241.00 in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of First Solar from $326.00 to $271.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. HSBC restated a “hold” rating and issued a $211.00 price objective (down from $280.00) on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of First Solar in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $257.91.

First Solar Stock Performance

First Solar stock traded down $2.90 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $197.20. The company had a trading volume of 3,774,660 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,823,447. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm has a market cap of $21.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.88, a PEG ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a 50 day moving average of $241.94 and a 200-day moving average of $235.98. First Solar has a 52 week low of $116.56 and a 52 week high of $285.99.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $4.84 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.22 by ($0.38). First Solar had a net margin of 29.28% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The company had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.65 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that First Solar will post 13.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in First Solar by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,721,979 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $3,026,108,000 after purchasing an additional 464,130 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 2.1% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,326,082 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $881,680,000 after purchasing an additional 111,927 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,919,991 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $761,396,000 after buying an additional 24,206 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 60.6% in the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,266,050 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $375,122,000 after buying an additional 854,919 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in shares of First Solar by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,215,461 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $578,791,000 after buying an additional 189,626 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting First Solar

Here are the key news stories impacting First Solar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. tariffs on Indian solar manufacturers reduce potential low-cost competition for U.S. demand, which could benefit domestic suppliers like First Solar. India Tariff Article
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts and commentators view the post-earnings pullback as a buying opportunity — a “buy the weakness” thesis highlighting long-term project backlog and subsidy support (45X tax credits) for near-term profitability. Seeking Alpha Buy Thesis
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage noting First Solar’s role in clean-energy gains on the Nasdaq could support positive sentiment among sector-focused investors. Kalkine Media
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its price target (to $255) but kept an overweight stance — a mixed signal that reduces upside expectations while retaining conviction. Wells Fargo/PT Cut
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan also lowered price targets (Goldman to $300, JPM to $256) but maintained buy/overweight ratings, signaling confidence in medium-term fundamentals despite near-term revisions. Goldman/JPM PT Changes
• Neutral Sentiment: Market-wide weakness in the S&P 500 and tech dragged sentiment this week, amplifying pressure on cyclical/clean-energy names including FSLR. S&P 500 Weekly
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data reported is effectively negligible/ambiguous (zero shares reported), so short squeezes are unlikely to be a driver at present.
• Negative Sentiment: Management issued weak sales/guidance for 2026 and disappointing Q1 guidance, which triggered a sharp share decline as investors reassess revenue and backlog trajectory. Weak Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: First Solar reported Q4 EPS below consensus despite revenue beat; margin reliance on tax credits (45X) and tapering backlog raise longer-term risk concerns. Earnings Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research downgraded FSLR from “strong-buy” to “hold,” and other outlets note gap-down trading and steep short-term losses — analyst skepticism is pressuring sentiment. Wolfe Research Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz law firm opened an investor investigation, introducing potential legal/financial risk and adding to short-term uncertainty. Investor Investigation

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.