Markus Gloeckler Sells 829 Shares of First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Stock

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 829 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.00, for a total value of $205,592.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer owned 6,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,647,216. This trade represents a 11.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Markus Gloeckler also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, August 3rd, Markus Gloeckler sold 3,425 shares of First Solar stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.95, for a total value of $749,903.75.

First Solar Stock Performance

NASDAQ FSLR opened at $244.14 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $242.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $225.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.75. First Solar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $176.47 and a fifty-two week high of $320.95.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $1.02. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.02% and a net margin of 32.47%.The company had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.18 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.75 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Solar

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in First Solar by 0.8% during 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 purchasing an additional 24,206 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP grew 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. Amundi grew its stake 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 in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at $392,040,000. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $372,803,000 after buying an additional 100,908 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Key First Solar News

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

• Positive Sentiment: First Solar applauded the Trump administration’s comprehensive Section 232 action on polysilicon and related products. The measures are intended to reduce China’s dominance of a solar-material supply chain in which Chinese producers control more than 90% of global output. Although First Solar primarily uses cadmium telluride thin-film technology rather than polysilicon, stronger import protections could improve the competitive environment for U.S. solar manufacturers. First Solar Applauds Section 232 Action
• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment continues to benefit from First Solar’s recent quarterly earnings beat: adjusted EPS of $3.92 exceeded the $2.90 consensus estimate, while revenue reached approximately $1.06 billion and management reaffirmed its outlook. The company’s 45.1-gigawatt contracted backlog, planned capacity expansion and roughly $1.7 billion in net cash provide visibility and financial flexibility. First Solar Structural Growth and Financial Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and reported call-option activity point to continued expectations for upside, with the consensus analyst target near $254 and several firms maintaining positive ratings. Analyst Expects First Solar Stock to Rise
• Neutral Sentiment: First Solar’s CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 829 shares for approximately $206,000 after also selling 3,425 shares earlier in the week. The transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing their signaling value, although the lower insider ownership may still attract scrutiny. First Solar CTO Stock Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms are promoting a securities class action covering investors who purchased FSLR between February 26, 2025, and February 24, 2026. The complaints allege inadequate disclosure of tariff exposure, facility underutilization and related costs; the claims remain unproven. The lead-plaintiff deadline is August 24, 2026, creating a continuing litigation overhang. First Solar Securities Class Action Deadline

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on FSLR shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of First Solar from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Zacks Research raised shares of First Solar from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on shares of First Solar from $217.00 to $197.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of First Solar from $252.00 to $237.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded First Solar from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $254.44.

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.