Whittier Trust Co. Trims Stake in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Whittier Trust Co. reduced its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 68.6% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,202 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after selling 4,802 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in First Solar were worth $431,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised 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 worth $761,396,000 after buying an additional 24,206 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP grew its stake in shares of First Solar by 60.6% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,266,050 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $375,122,000 after acquiring an additional 854,919 shares during the period. Amundi grew its stake in shares of First Solar by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,215,461 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $578,791,000 after acquiring an additional 189,626 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in First Solar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $392,040,000. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group increased its holdings in First Solar by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,427,105 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $372,803,000 after acquiring an additional 100,908 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank upgraded First Solar to Buy from Hold and raised its price target, saying the stock looks significantly undervalued after the recent selloff. First Solar Stock Keeps Falling but Deutsche Bank Upgrades It to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo also lifted its price target on First Solar, reinforcing the bullish analyst view that the pullback may have created an opportunity. First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Given New $320.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company
• Neutral Sentiment: First Solar is expected to report second-quarter results soon, and analysts are forecasting a double-digit decline in earnings, which adds uncertainty ahead of the release. First Solar’s Quarterly Earnings Preview: What You Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced or promoted securities class action lawsuits against First Solar, alleging misleading disclosures tied to tariff policy and international production, creating a legal overhang for the stock. First Solar (FSLR) Faces New Securities Fraud Lawsuits As August Investor Deadlines Near
• Negative Sentiment: The upcoming August 24 lead-plaintiff deadline has kept investor attention focused on litigation risk rather than fundamentals, which can weigh on sentiment. FSLR UPCOMING DEADLINE: Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Reminds First Solar (FSLR) Investors of Securities Class Action Lawsuit Deadline on August 24, 2026

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of First Solar from $205.00 to $187.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of First Solar from $300.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of First Solar from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $245.00 to $272.00 in a report on Monday. Finally, Evercore increased their price target on First Solar from $212.00 to $219.00 in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.06.

First Solar Trading Down 1.5%

FSLR stock opened at $224.30 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $249.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $231.27. First Solar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $159.85 and a fifty-two week high of $320.95. The firm has a market cap of $24.10 billion, a PE ratio of 14.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a current ratio of 2.56.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.35. First Solar had a net margin of 30.73% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.95 earnings per share. First Solar’s revenue was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Solar news, insider Caroline Stockdale sold 10,628 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.60, for a total transaction of $2,929,076.80. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 23,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,557,075.20. The trade was a 30.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Georges Antoun sold 566 shares of the firm’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 $122,046.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 19,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,294,918.34. The trade was a 2.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 32,466 shares of company stock valued at $8,014,105 in the last quarter. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

First Solar 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.