First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) CEO Mark Widmar Sells 9,926 Shares of Stock

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) CEO Mark Widmar sold 9,926 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.21, for a total transaction of $2,314,842.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 95,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,189,465.08. This trade represents a 9.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

First Solar Stock Performance

First Solar stock opened at $234.60 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $199.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $231.46. First Solar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $135.50 and a 1-year high of $285.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 2.56 and a quick ratio of 2.15. The stock has a market cap of $25.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.57.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.35. First Solar had a net margin of 30.73% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.95 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.63 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of First Solar from $303.00 to $256.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Glj Research cut shares of First Solar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $314.43 to $207.82 in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. DZ Bank raised shares of First Solar to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Freedom Capital raised shares of First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of First Solar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $300.00 to $245.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, First Solar has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $247.03.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Solar

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FSLR. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in First Solar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC acquired a new stake in First Solar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in First Solar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in First Solar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in First Solar by 117.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 102 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting First Solar

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

• Positive Sentiment: Argus raised its price target on First Solar to $275 from $250 and reiterated a buy rating, implying meaningful upside from recent trading levels. Argus Issues Positive Forecast for First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Stock Price
• Positive Sentiment: Broader solar-sector momentum has improved, with articles noting that solar stocks may have more room to run as technical patterns turn more bullish and clean-energy demand stays intact. Solar Stocks Could Have More Room to Run. First Solar, SolarEdge Charts Turn Bullish.
• Neutral Sentiment: First Solar CEO Mark Widmar disclosed two Rule 10b5-1 stock sales this week; while these were pre-planned transactions, they can still weigh on investor sentiment. First Solar insider trading disclosure
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles highlighted a broader shift in China’s clean-tech firms retreating from the U.S. amid policy uncertainty and potential loss of incentives, reinforcing both the opportunity and risk tied to the solar policy backdrop. China’s $3 Billion US Clean Tech Exit Is an Investment Warning

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.