First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Stock Gets Price Target Trim from Barclays

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) had its price objective lowered by Barclays from $259.00 to $230.00 in a research report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the solar cell manufacturer’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of First Solar from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Mizuho set a $328.00 price target on First Solar in a research note on Monday. Guggenheim decreased their target price on First Solar from $299.00 to $297.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of First Solar in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Evercore restated a “positive” rating and issued a $218.00 price objective on shares of First Solar in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Three investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $257.38.

First Solar Stock Up 4.6%

FSLR opened at $194.51 on Monday. First Solar has a 52 week low of $165.86 and a 52 week high of $320.95. The stock has a market cap of $20.91 billion, a PE ratio of 11.26, a PEG ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.73. The business has a 50 day moving average of $187.38 and a 200-day moving average of $215.40.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Jason Dymbort sold 3,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 5,624 shares in the company, valued at $1,402,513.12. This trade represents a 39.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 800 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.00, for a total transaction of $139,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 5,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $877,308. The trade was a 13.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 5,427 shares of company stock worth $1,250,221 over the last three months. 0.39% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Solar

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Solar during the second quarter valued at $34,000. Vega Investment Solutions bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the second quarter valued at about $40,000. Gen Wealth Partners Inc purchased a new stake in First Solar in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp purchased a new stake in First Solar in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in First Solar in the second quarter worth about $44,000. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Key First Solar News

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.