Groupe la Francaise Has $3.63 Million Stock Position in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Groupe la Francaise reduced its position in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 66.4% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 18,456 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after selling 36,510 shares during the quarter. Groupe la Francaise’s holdings in First Solar were worth $3,635,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in shares of First Solar by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 9,044 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $1,143,000 after buying an additional 2,615 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in First Solar by 50.9% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 516 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its position in shares of First Solar by 84.3% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,529 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $750,000 after acquiring an additional 2,072 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 2nd quarter valued at $494,000. Finally, AXA S.A. lifted its stake in shares of First Solar by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 18,862 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $3,122,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115 shares during the period. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key First Solar News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Profit and margins exceeded expectations. First Solar reported second-quarter EPS of $3.92, well above the $2.99 analyst consensus and up from $3.18 a year earlier. Gross margin expanded to approximately 57%, while adjusted EBITDA rose to $644 million from $560 million. First Solar’s Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Decrease Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Strong long-term demand visibility supported the bullish reaction. Management highlighted a record backlog, 45.1 gigawatts of contracted sales at quarter-end, domestic manufacturing expansion, technology investments and policy-driven opportunities extending through 2030. The company also cited a cumulative production milestone above 100 GW. FSLR Q2 Earnings Call Highlights Domestic Solar Push
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts maintained bullish ratings. Goldman Sachs reiterated a Buy rating with a $310 price target, while Needham maintained Buy with a $303 target, citing attractive valuation, demand momentum and potential support from Section 232 tariffs. First Solar: Strong Q2 Beat and Solid Demand Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Full-year guidance was reaffirmed. First Solar maintained 2026 net sales guidance of $4.9 billion to $5.2 billion, broadly in line with expectations. However, the midpoint is slightly below consensus, limiting the upside from the earnings beat. First Solar Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue declined year over year. Sales fell about 4% to $1.06 billion, primarily because customer contract cancellations offset higher third-party module sales. The company is also navigating Section 232 tariff uncertainty and rising input costs. First Solar Sales Fall on Contract Cancellations
• Negative Sentiment: Securities litigation remains an overhang. Multiple law firms publicized a shareholder class action concerning alleged misrepresentations about tariffs and production challenges, with an August 24, 2026 lead-plaintiff deadline. These notices may pressure sentiment, although they do not represent a court finding of wrongdoing. Kaplan Fox First Solar Shareholder Notice

Insider Activity at First Solar

In other news, General Counsel Jason E. Dymbort sold 409 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total value of $88,192.67. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 10,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,244,492.67. This represents a 3.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 420 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total transaction of $90,564.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 10,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,349,504.48. This represents a 3.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 31,893 shares of company stock worth $7,893,775. Insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FSLR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Freedom Capital upgraded First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Mizuho set a $237.00 target price on First Solar in a report on Friday. UBS Group boosted their target price on First Solar from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on First Solar from $252.00 to $237.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, First Solar presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $252.86.

First Solar Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR opened at $211.03 on Friday. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $245.08 and a 200-day moving average of $225.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.01, a PEG ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.73. First Solar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $171.99 and a fifty-two week high of $320.95.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $1.02. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.42% and a net margin of 32.47%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.18 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.