First Solar’s (FSLR) “Hold” Rating Reiterated at Truist Financial

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR)‘s stock had its “hold” rating restated by analysts at Truist Financial in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $229.00 price target on the solar cell manufacturer’s stock, down from their previous price target of $249.00. Truist Financial’s target price indicates a potential upside of 11.16% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on FSLR. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of First Solar in a report on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price objective on First Solar in a research note on Friday. Freedom Capital upgraded First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised First Solar from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, First Solar has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $252.86.

First Solar Stock Performance

NASDAQ FSLR opened at $206.01 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 2.56 and a quick ratio of 2.15. First Solar has a 1-year low of $171.99 and a 1-year high of $320.95. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $246.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $225.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.14 billion, a PE ratio of 13.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.73.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.93. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 30.73%.The business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.18 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that First Solar will post 17.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other First Solar news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 582 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $145,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 4,967 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,241,750. This represents a 10.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Georges Antoun sold 566 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 value of $122,046.58. Following the sale, the insider owned 19,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,294,918.34. This trade represents a 2.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 31,893 shares of company stock valued at $7,893,775. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in First Solar by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,919,991 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $761,396,000 after acquiring an additional 24,206 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its holdings 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 valued at $375,122,000 after purchasing an additional 854,919 shares during the period. Amundi grew its stake in First Solar by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,215,461 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $578,791,000 after purchasing an additional 189,626 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in First Solar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $392,040,000. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group increased its holdings in First Solar by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,427,105 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $372,803,000 after purchasing an additional 100,908 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting First Solar

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

• Positive Sentiment: First Solar reported second-quarter 2026 EPS of $3.92, well above analyst expectations of roughly $2.74–$2.99 and up from $3.18 a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA increased to $644 million from $560 million. First Solar Q2 2026 earnings call highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Gross margin expanded to approximately 57%, a roughly 12-percentage-point improvement, helping offset lower revenue. The company also reached a cumulative 100-gigawatt manufacturing milestone and ended the quarter with approximately $1.7 billion in gross and net cash.
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed its 2026 net-sales guidance of $4.9 billion to $5.2 billion and cited a 45.1 GW contracted backlog. Needham analyst Sean Milligan maintained a Buy rating and a $303 price target, pointing to attractive valuation and potential upside from U.S. Section 232 support. First Solar Buy rating reaffirmed
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly sales were approximately $1.06 billion, down about 4% year over year and slightly below some estimates. The decline primarily reflected customer contract cancellations, although higher third-party module shipments partially offset the impact. First Solar sales fall on contract cancellations
• Negative Sentiment: First Solar continues to face uncertainty around Section 232 tariffs, rising input costs and international production challenges. Its full-year revenue outlook midpoint is modestly below consensus, keeping execution and policy developments important for the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms publicized a securities class-action lawsuit alleging misleading disclosures about tariff exposure and production challenges. The allegations have not been proven, but the litigation adds reputational and potential financial risk. Investors also face an August 24, 2026 lead-plaintiff deadline. First Solar securities lawsuit

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.