First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Freedom Capital

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) was upgraded by analysts at Freedom Capital from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on FSLR. Susquehanna dropped their target price on First Solar from $280.00 to $250.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Evercore upped their target price on First Solar from $212.00 to $219.00 in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $205.00 target price (down from $264.00) on shares of First Solar in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded First Solar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $300.00 to $245.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, First Solar presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.10.

First Solar Price Performance

NASDAQ FSLR opened at $218.00 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $197.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $231.53. The company has a current ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company has a market cap of $23.42 billion, a PE ratio of 14.08, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.57. First Solar has a 1 year low of $125.80 and a 1 year high of $285.99.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 30.73%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.95 EPS. On average, analysts predict that First Solar will post 17.58 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 235 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total value of $50,673.05. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,596,955.78. The trade was a 3.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Michael Koralewski sold 215 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total value of $46,360.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 14,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,157,254.46. The trade was a 1.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 81,204 shares of company stock worth $16,043,186 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Solar

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of First Solar by 117.0% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 102 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

More First Solar News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat — First Solar reported stronger‑than‑expected results (EPS $3.22 vs. ~$2.87 est.; revenue +23.6% Y/Y to ~$1.04B) with robust margins, which supports earnings and valuation models. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Broker upgrade highlights policy upside — a recent Freedom Broker upgrade cited Section 232 (trade/policy tailwinds) as a potential catalyst for upside in FSLR. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst price‑target moves are modest — HSBC raised its PT to $231 (hold), reflecting the Q1 print and policy dynamics but not a broad re‑rating. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider sales disclosed on May 5 — CEO and several senior officers sold modest blocks of stock at ~the recent market level to cover tax withholding on vested awards; filings indicate routine, tax‑related sales rather than conviction selling, but markets can interpret clustered insider sales as a mild negative. Read More. and Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector/peer context — SolarEdge (SEDG) reported improving revenue but continued losses, underscoring mixed fundamentals across solar OEMs; useful for relative positioning but not a direct FSLR catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and demand uncertainty flagged by analysts — several commentary pieces warn that pending policy decisions (Section 232/201 and other trade measures) and order cadence could create short‑term demand risk and pressure near‑term multiples. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish analysis highlights downside scenarios — some analysts caution that module ASPs, order timing and policy finalization could expose FSLR to downside even after the earnings beat. Read More.

About First Solar

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.