First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Upgraded at Truist Financial

Truist Financial upgraded shares of First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Monday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have $270.00 price target on the solar cell manufacturer’s stock, up from their prior price target of $229.00.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on FSLR. Glj Research reduced their target price on shares of First Solar from $315.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $196.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Roth Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a research report on Friday, July 24th. HSBC upgraded shares of First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Mizuho set a $324.00 price target on shares of First Solar in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, First Solar currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.43.

First Solar Price Performance

First Solar stock opened at $179.08 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.24 billion, a PE ratio of 11.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.80. First Solar has a one year low of $168.60 and a one year high of $320.95. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $201.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $219.37.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $1.02. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.02% and a net margin of 32.47%. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.18 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that First Solar will post 17.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 3,425 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.95, for a total value of $749,903.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 7,471 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,635,775.45. The trade was a 31.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Samantha Sloan sold 127 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.95, for a total transaction of $28,314.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 2,018 shares in the company, valued at approximately $449,913.10. This represents a 5.92% decrease in their position. 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 16,681 shares of company stock valued at $3,756,286. 0.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of First Solar

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Courier Capital LLC grew its holdings in First Solar by 102.1% during the 3rd quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 23,602 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $4,134,000 after acquiring an additional 11,926 shares during the period. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of First Solar by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,907 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $684,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Solar by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 27,110 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $4,749,000 after purchasing an additional 4,802 shares during the period. Toth Financial Advisory Corp acquired a new position in shares of First Solar in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Cox Capital Mgt LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Solar by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cox Capital Mgt LLC now owns 13,989 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $2,450,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting First Solar

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist upgraded First Solar to Buy and raised its price target to $270 from $229. Analyst Christopher Souther cited a stronger pricing outlook for U.S. modules and improving fundamentals extending into the 2030s. First Solar raised to Buy at Truist on stronger pricing backdrop into 2030s
• Positive Sentiment: A Section 232 trade decision establishing a floor for imported panel pricing could reduce low-priced foreign competition and support First Solar’s margins. The policy development, combined with the Truist upgrade, helped distinguish First Solar from other solar stocks. First Solar Climbs 4% as Truist Buy Call and December Tariff Floor Reset Panel Pricing Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Call-option activity was unusually strong, with 48,646 contracts traded—nearly double the average volume—indicating elevated bullish speculation, although options activity does not guarantee sustained buying.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect high single-digit year-over-year earnings growth when First Solar reports third-quarter results. The report could clarify demand, pricing and the effect of U.S. policy changes. Earnings Preview: What to Expect From First Solar’s Report
• Negative Sentiment: Morningstar reduced its fair-value estimate to $191, citing the phaseout of tax benefits and intensifying competition. That caution may be weighing on the stock despite rising electricity demand from artificial-intelligence projects. FSLR Stock Slips Overnight: First Solar’s AI Power Demand Opportunity Faces Tax Credit Test

First Solar Company Profile

First Solar, Inc is a solar technology and manufacturing company that designs and produces photovoltaic (PV) solar modules for utility-scale power projects. Unlike conventional crystalline-silicon panels, its modules use thin-film semiconductor technology based on cadmium telluride (CdTe), which the company says can provide advantages in energy yield, temperature performance and lifecycle sustainability.

The company’s product portfolio includes its Series 6 and Series 7 thin-film solar modules, along with related services such as technical support, module recycling and end-of-life collection.