Seaport Res Ptn Reduces Earnings Estimates for First Solar

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) – Research analysts at Seaport Res Ptn reduced their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of First Solar in a report issued on Monday, November 3rd. Seaport Res Ptn analyst T. Curran now forecasts that the solar cell manufacturer will earn $14.67 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $15.45. The consensus estimate for First Solar’s current full-year earnings is $13.05 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for First Solar’s Q4 2025 earnings at $5.30 EPS.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on FSLR. Hsbc Global Res raised First Solar to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on First Solar from $278.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. DZ Bank downgraded First Solar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on First Solar from $240.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of First Solar in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, First Solar presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $270.09.

First Solar Price Performance

NASDAQ FSLR opened at $277.39 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $223.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $186.34. First Solar has a 52-week low of $116.56 and a 52-week high of $281.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.90. The stock has a market cap of $29.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.73, a PEG ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.51.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $4.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.32 by ($0.08). First Solar had a return on equity of 15.57% and a net margin of 28.95%.The business had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.91 earnings per share. First Solar’s revenue for the quarter was up 79.7% compared to the same quarter last year. First Solar has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.000-15.000 EPS.

Insider Activity at First Solar

In other news, CAO Nathan B. Theurer sold 686 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.03, for a total value of $124,872.58. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 2,321 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.44, for a total value of $462,900.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 81,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,326,357.84. The trade was a 2.76% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 30,715 shares of company stock valued at $5,733,305. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FSLR. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of First Solar in the second quarter worth $212,621,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of First Solar in the first quarter worth $114,730,000. Viking Global Investors LP increased its position in shares of First Solar by 60.6% in the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,266,050 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $375,122,000 after purchasing an additional 854,919 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its position in shares of First Solar by 16,857.8% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 759,033 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $95,965,000 after purchasing an additional 754,557 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of First Solar by 32.3% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,427,500 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $306,909,000 after purchasing an additional 592,444 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

About First Solar

First Solar, Inc, a solar technology company, provides photovoltaic (PV) solar energy solutions in the United States, France, Japan, Chile, and internationally. The company manufactures and sells PV solar modules with a thin film semiconductor technology that provides a lower-carbon alternative to conventional crystalline silicon PV solar modules.