First Solar’s (FSLR) Buy Rating Reiterated at Roth Capital

Roth Capital restated their buy rating on shares of First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) in a research report report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. Roth Capital currently has a $300.00 price target on the solar cell manufacturer’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on FSLR. Barclays raised their target price on shares of First Solar from $213.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of First Solar from $243.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of First Solar from $252.00 to $237.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Argus raised their price objective on shares of First Solar from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $245.00 to $272.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $257.10.

First Solar Price Performance

NASDAQ FSLR opened at $202.82 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $248.59 and its 200 day moving average is $226.61. First Solar has a fifty-two week low of $171.99 and a fifty-two week high of $320.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a current ratio of 2.56. The company has a market capitalization of $21.79 billion, a PE ratio of 13.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.73.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.35. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 30.73%.The business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.95 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that First Solar will post 17.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at First Solar

In other First Solar news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 582 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $145,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 4,967 shares in the company, valued at $1,241,750. This trade represents a 10.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Caroline Stockdale sold 10,628 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.60, for a total value of $2,929,076.80. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 23,792 shares in the company, valued at $6,557,075.20. This trade represents a 30.88% 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 ninety days, insiders sold 31,893 shares of company stock valued at $7,893,775. 0.39% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Solar

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FSLR. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $392,040,000. Viking Global Investors LP raised its holdings in First Solar by 60.6% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,266,050 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $375,122,000 after buying an additional 854,919 shares during the period. Polar Capital Holdings Plc purchased a new stake in First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at $200,109,000. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. raised its holdings in First Solar by 2,663.8% during the 4th quarter. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. now owns 666,307 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $174,059,000 after buying an additional 642,199 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in First Solar by 38.6% in the third 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. Institutional investors 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: Roth Capital reaffirmed its buy rating on First Solar and set a $300 price target, implying meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Industry commentary highlighted record U.S. solar power output and rising electricity demand from AI data centers, which supports the broader solar demand narrative and could benefit First Solar over time. 24/7 Wall St.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several firms, including Rosen, Howard G. Smith, Schall, Kaplan Fox, Faruqi & Faruqi, and others, reminded investors about pending First Solar securities-fraud class actions and the August 24 lead-plaintiff deadline. PR Newswire
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reporting showed no meaningful update, with the latest filing indicating zero shares reported short and a days-to-cover ratio of 0.0, so it does not appear to be a current market driver.
• Negative Sentiment: The ongoing securities-fraud litigation headlines create a legal overhang that may pressure the shares until there is more clarity on the case outcome.

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.