First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) General Counsel Sells $88,192.67 in Stock

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) General Counsel Jason Dymbort sold 409 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total transaction of $88,192.67. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 10,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,244,492.67. This represents a 3.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

First Solar Stock Down 1.6%

FSLR stock opened at $214.57 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.86, a P/E/G ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.57. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $196.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $231.41. The company has a quick ratio of 2.15, a current ratio of 2.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. First Solar, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.32 and a 52 week high of $285.99.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. First Solar had a net margin of 30.73% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.95 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key First Solar News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and healthy fundamentals: First Solar reported stronger?than?expected Q1 results (EPS and revenue upside, strong margins), which supports the company’s medium?term earnings outlook. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage support: Several firms have reiterated buys or raised targets recently (Freedom Broker/Freedom Capital upgrade to strong?buy, Barclays and Susquehanna issued buy notes, HSBC raised its PT to $231), giving buyers ammunition. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple executive Form 4 filings show modest insider sales; company says sales were to cover tax withholding on vested awards — routine but sometimes interpreted as short?term selling pressure. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst scorecard is mixed: while many analysts remain constructive, several have adjusted price targets and ratings incrementally — the street’s consensus is still a “Moderate Buy” but with a wide range of PTs. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector context: peer reports are mixed (e.g., SolarEdge posted a wider Q1 loss even as revenues rose), which can create uneven flows across solar names. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and demand uncertainty flagged by commentators: several pieces warn that unresolved policy (Section 201/232 and other rules) and order cadence risks could blunt near?term upside and increase volatility. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish analysis highlights downside scenarios — watch module ASPs, order flow and final policy outcomes; these items likely explain some of the profit?taking after recent gains. Read More.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of First Solar from $275.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of First Solar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price objective (down from $264.00) on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Wolfe Research cut shares of First Solar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Freedom Capital raised shares of First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.10.

Institutional Trading of First Solar

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FSLR. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at about $392,040,000. Viking Global Investors LP grew its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Polar Capital Holdings Plc acquired a new position in First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at about $200,109,000. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. boosted its holdings in First Solar by 2,663.8% in the 4th quarter. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. now owns 666,307 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $174,059,000 after purchasing an additional 642,199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its holdings in First Solar by 38.6% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,025,835 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $459,917,000 after purchasing an additional 564,032 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

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.