First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Stock Rating Upgraded by William Blair

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) was upgraded by William Blair from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note issued on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on FSLR. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of First Solar from $236.00 to $232.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of First Solar from $313.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of First Solar from $297.00 to $283.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Truist Financial upgraded shares of First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $229.00 to $270.00 in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and set a $246.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $257.38.

First Solar Trading Up 4.6%

Shares of FSLR stock opened at $194.51 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.26, a PEG ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.73. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $187.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $215.40. First Solar has a 12 month low of $165.86 and a 12 month high of $320.95.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $5.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.67 by $0.63. The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.29 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.33% and a net margin of 37.12%. The business’s revenue was down 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.24 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that First Solar will post 17.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other First Solar news, General Counsel Jason Dymbort sold 3,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total value of $922,706.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 5,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,402,513.12. The trade was a 39.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.95, for a total value of $28,314.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,018 shares in the company, valued at $449,913.10. The trade was a 5.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 three months, insiders sold 5,427 shares of company stock worth $1,250,221. 0.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of First Solar in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,310,298,000. Hill City Capital LP bought a new stake in First Solar during the second quarter worth $620,133,555. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in First Solar during the second quarter worth $212,626,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in First Solar in the second quarter worth $171,043,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in First Solar in the second quarter worth $164,962,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Investors anticipate that Democratic control of Congress could improve prospects for federal support of renewable energy and domestic solar manufacturing, lifting First Solar and other clean-energy shares. The extent and timing of any policy changes remain uncertain. Article: First Solar Jumps as Democratic Sweep Revives Clean-Energy Hopes
• Positive Sentiment: First Solar’s U.S. manufacturing footprint may also benefit from existing tariffs that support its competitive position against imported solar products. Article: First Solar Jumps After Democratic Sweep, but Tariffs Already Favor It
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity pointed to bullish positioning: traders bought 67,156 FSLR call options, 128% above the average volume reported in the article.
• Neutral Sentiment: The rally was part of a broader market rotation into clean-energy stocks after the election. The policy shift may change investor expectations, but it does not immediately alter company earnings, and the legislative path remains uncertain. Article: “Blue Trade” Sends First Solar and Sunrun Soaring
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays and Guggenheim each cut their price target on First Solar, providing a counterpoint to the election-driven optimism. The available reports do not specify the revised targets. Article: First Solar Price Target Cut by Barclays Article: First Solar Price Target Cut by Guggenheim

About First Solar

First Solar, Inc is a vertically integrated solar technology and manufacturing company that designs, manufactures and sells photovoltaic (PV) solar modules. Its modules use advanced thin-film semiconductor technology based on cadmium telluride (CdTe), rather than the crystalline-silicon technology used by most solar manufacturers. The company serves utility-scale solar developers, commercial and industrial customers, and other large-scale energy users.

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, First Solar operates research and development, manufacturing and recycling facilities in the United States and internationally.