First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Stock Price Target Lowered at Needham & Company LLC

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) had its target price cut by Needham & Company LLC from $303.00 to $236.00 in a research note published on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have a buy rating on the solar cell manufacturer’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded First Solar from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on First Solar from $217.00 to $197.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on First Solar from $260.00 to $251.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. HSBC upgraded First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Glj Research dropped their price target on First Solar from $315.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.62.

First Solar Stock Down 1.4%

NASDAQ:FSLR opened at $174.40 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.09, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.80. First Solar has a 52 week low of $165.86 and a 52 week high of $320.95. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $188.72 and a 200 day moving average of $216.19.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $5.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.63. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.29 billion. First Solar had a net margin of 37.12% and a return on equity of 18.78%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.24 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that First Solar will post 17.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at First Solar

In other First Solar news, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 800 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.00, for a total transaction of $139,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer owned 5,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $877,308. The trade was a 13.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Samantha L. Sloan sold 127 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.95, for a total value of $28,314.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 2,018 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $449,913.10. This represents a 5.92% decrease in their position. 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. Insiders sold 16,681 shares of company stock valued at $3,756,286 over the last three months. 0.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FSLR. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in First Solar by 484.9% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 310 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of First Solar by 9.7% in the third quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. now owns 18,939 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $3,351,000 after acquiring an additional 1,674 shares during the period. IPG Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Solar by 18.9% during the 3rd quarter. IPG Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,170 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $1,081,000 after acquiring an additional 982 shares in the last quarter. Summit Wealth Group LLC Co. purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 3rd quarter worth about $373,000. Finally, Greenleaf Trust boosted its stake in shares of First Solar by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 4,946 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $866,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More First Solar News

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

• Positive Sentiment: First Solar reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $5.30 per share, beating estimates by roughly 14%, while net income increased 25% year over year. Strong margins and a reported $13.5 billion backlog provide support for longer-term earnings visibility. First Solar Announces Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company authorized a $500 million share-repurchase program, which could support per-share results and signal management’s confidence in long-term cash generation. First Solar Posts Strong Q3 Results and Launches Buyback Plan
• Positive Sentiment: First Solar signed a U.S. patent licensing agreement with CubicPV covering perovskite technology, potentially advancing its next-generation solar-product development. The company also inaugurated the first phase of its South Carolina facility, expanding domestic manufacturing capacity. First Solar and CubicPV Enter U.S. Patent Licensing Agreement

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.