Vontobel Holding Ltd. Sells 31,264 Shares of First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lessened its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 9.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 299,084 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after selling 31,264 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. owned about 0.28% of First Solar worth $78,130,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of First Solar by 117.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 102 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on FSLR shares. Mizuho upped their target price on First Solar from $243.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Friday. Wolfe Research lowered First Solar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered First Solar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $300.00 to $245.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Freedom Capital upgraded First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on First Solar from $269.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $250.99.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In related news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 9,926 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.21, for a total transaction of $2,314,842.46. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 95,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,189,465.08. This represents a 9.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 14,106 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total value of $2,820,776.82. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 30,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,999,100. This trade represents a 31.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 60,694 shares of company stock worth $13,659,583 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

More First Solar News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target on First Solar to $300 from $243, implying meaningful upside from recent trading levels and reinforcing confidence in the company’s outlook. Mizuho price target update
• Positive Sentiment: UBS Group also lifted its price target to $330 from $290 and maintained a buy rating, signaling continued optimism around First Solar’s growth prospects. UBS analyst update
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary this week highlighted that First Solar has outperformed the S&P 500 over the past year, with sentiment remaining moderately bullish on the stock’s longer-term growth potential.
• Neutral Sentiment: One recent market article compared First Solar’s performance with the broader S&P 500, underscoring that the stock is still being closely watched by investors for relative performance trends. First Solar vs. S&P 500 article
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate note said First Solar declined while the broader market improved, suggesting the move may reflect normal trading volatility rather than a company-specific negative catalyst. Zacks market comparison article

First Solar Stock Down 1.4%

FSLR stock opened at $267.31 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $231.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $233.65. First Solar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $135.50 and a fifty-two week high of $320.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a current ratio of 2.56. The company has a market cap of $28.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.71.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.35. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 30.73%.The business had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.95 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.