Insider Selling: First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) CTO Sells $90,564.60 in Stock

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 420 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total transaction of $90,564.60. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 10,896 shares in the company, valued at $2,349,504.48. This represents a 3.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Markus Gloeckler also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, March 16th, Markus Gloeckler sold 368 shares of First Solar stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.80, for a total transaction of $73,894.40.
• On Monday, March 9th, Markus Gloeckler sold 1,325 shares of First Solar stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.36, for a total transaction of $252,227.00.
• On Wednesday, March 4th, Markus Gloeckler sold 3,640 shares of First Solar stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.95, for a total transaction of $716,898.00.
• On Tuesday, March 3rd, Markus Gloeckler sold 3,425 shares of First Solar stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.93, for a total transaction of $671,060.25.

First Solar Stock Down 1.6%

FSLR opened at $214.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a current ratio of 2.56. First Solar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $127.32 and a fifty-two week high of $285.99. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $196.96 and its 200 day moving average is $231.41. The stock has a market cap of $23.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.57.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.35. First Solar had a net margin of 30.73% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.95 EPS. First Solar’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of First Solar

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in FSLR. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth about $392,040,000. Viking Global Investors LP increased its holdings in shares of First Solar by 60.6% in the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,266,050 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $375,122,000 after buying an additional 854,919 shares during the last quarter. Polar Capital Holdings Plc bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth about $200,109,000. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. increased its holdings in shares of First Solar by 2,663.8% in the 4th quarter. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. now owns 666,307 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $174,059,000 after buying an additional 642,199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its holdings in shares of First Solar by 38.6% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,025,835 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $459,917,000 after buying an additional 564,032 shares during the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting First Solar

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and healthy fundamentals: First Solar reported stronger?than?expected Q1 results (EPS and revenue upside, strong margins), which supports the company’s medium?term earnings outlook. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage support: Several firms have reiterated buys or raised targets recently (Freedom Broker/Freedom Capital upgrade to strong?buy, Barclays and Susquehanna issued buy notes, HSBC raised its PT to $231), giving buyers ammunition. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple executive Form 4 filings show modest insider sales; company says sales were to cover tax withholding on vested awards — routine but sometimes interpreted as short?term selling pressure. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst scorecard is mixed: while many analysts remain constructive, several have adjusted price targets and ratings incrementally — the street’s consensus is still a “Moderate Buy” but with a wide range of PTs. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector context: peer reports are mixed (e.g., SolarEdge posted a wider Q1 loss even as revenues rose), which can create uneven flows across solar names. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and demand uncertainty flagged by commentators: several pieces warn that unresolved policy (Section 201/232 and other rules) and order cadence risks could blunt near?term upside and increase volatility. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish analysis highlights downside scenarios — watch module ASPs, order flow and final policy outcomes; these items likely explain some of the profit?taking after recent gains. Read More.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FSLR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $205.00 price target (down from $264.00) on shares of First Solar in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of First Solar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Argus reduced their price target on shares of First Solar from $300.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on shares of First Solar from $286.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded shares of First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.10.

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.