First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) CTO Markus Gloeckler Sells 420 Shares

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 420 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total transaction of $90,564.60. Following the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 10,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,349,504.48. This trade represents a 3.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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 shares were sold at an average price of $200.80, for a total value 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 value of $671,060.25.

First Solar Price Performance

First Solar stock opened at $219.21 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $198.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.67. The company has a quick ratio of 2.15, a current ratio of 2.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The stock has a market cap of $23.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.57. First Solar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $125.80 and a 12-month high of $285.99.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.95 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on FSLR. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on shares of First Solar from $286.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group lowered their target price on First Solar from $300.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Zacks Research raised First Solar from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on First Solar from $271.00 to $243.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on First Solar from $228.00 to $213.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.10.

More First Solar News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results materially beat expectations — EPS $3.22 (vs. ~$2.87 est.) and revenue +23.6% Y/Y to $1.04B; strong margins and revenue growth support upside for the shares. Zacks: Q1 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Broker upgrade/notes emphasize policy upside (Section 232) and potential near‑term demand tailwinds, reinforcing investor optimism. Seeking Alpha: Freedom Broker Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: HSBC raised its price target to $231 (hold); Evercore nudged its PT to $219 (in-line). Both are incremental and largely reflect the Q1 print and policy/industry dynamics rather than sweeping analyst upgrades. MarketScreener: HSBC PT Raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple executives filed Form 4s selling modest amounts of stock on May 5 to cover tax withholding on vested awards (CEO and several senior officers among them). These were routine/tax-related sales rather than large conviction sells, but markets sometimes interpret insider selling as a mild negative. SEC filing (example – CEO): SEC Form 4 (CEO)
• Neutral Sentiment: Company posted its Q1 results materials/earnings presentation (useful for modeling but not new news beyond the beat). Earnings Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector/market writeups highlight clean‑energy demand and industrial tailwinds that can lift FSLR over time; helpful context but not immediate catalysts. Kalkine Media
• Negative Sentiment: Several analyst/commentary pieces warn of regulatory uncertainty and demand risk (cautionary views on Section 201/232 impacts and other policy/regulatory factors); these raise short‑term risk appetite for some investors. Seeking Alpha: Regulatory/Demand Concern
• Negative Sentiment: Additional bearish analysis highlights downside risk despite recent strength — keep an eye on order cadence, module ASPs and policy finalizations. Seeking Alpha: Downside Risk

Institutional Trading of First Solar

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in First Solar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar during the second quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of First Solar by 117.0% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 102 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.