First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Given New $307.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) had its target price lowered by Morgan Stanley from $326.00 to $307.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the solar cell manufacturer’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on FSLR. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of First Solar in a research report on Friday. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday, July 24th. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $246.00 price objective on shares of First Solar in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of First Solar from $313.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of First Solar from $318.00 to $290.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, First Solar presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.62.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of FSLR stock opened at $174.40 on Friday. First Solar has a 1 year low of $165.86 and a 1 year high of $320.95. The business’s fifty day moving average is $188.72 and its 200-day moving average is $216.19. The stock has a market cap of $18.74 billion, a PE ratio of 10.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.80.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $5.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.63. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.78% and a net margin of 37.12%. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.29 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.24 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that First Solar will post 17.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Samantha Sloan sold 127 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 2,018 shares in the company, valued at $449,913.10. The trade was a 5.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, General Counsel Jason Dymbort sold 3,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total value of $922,706.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 5,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,402,513.12. This represents a 39.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 16,681 shares of company stock valued at $3,756,286. 0.39% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $4,019,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in First Solar by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,535,836 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $362,396,000 after purchasing an additional 100,694 shares during the period. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in First Solar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,121,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in First Solar by 15.0% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 683,112 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $161,187,000 after purchasing an additional 89,214 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Korea Investment CORP purchased a new position in First Solar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $15,822,000. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Solar News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: First Solar reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $5.30 per share, beating estimates by roughly 14%, while net income increased 25% year over year. Strong margins and a reported $13.5 billion backlog provide support for longer-term earnings visibility. First Solar Announces Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company authorized a $500 million share-repurchase program, which could support per-share results and signal management’s confidence in long-term cash generation. First Solar Posts Strong Q3 Results and Launches Buyback Plan
• Positive Sentiment: First Solar signed a U.S. patent licensing agreement with CubicPV covering perovskite technology, potentially advancing its next-generation solar-product development. The company also inaugurated the first phase of its South Carolina facility, expanding domestic manufacturing capacity. First Solar and CubicPV Enter U.S. Patent Licensing Agreement

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.