First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at Freedom Capital

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) was downgraded by research analysts at Freedom Capital from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

FSLR has been the topic of several other research reports. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price 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. DZ Bank raised First Solar to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen lowered First Solar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on First Solar from $316.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $205.00 target price (down from $264.00) on shares of First Solar in a research report on Wednesday. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, First Solar presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $257.91.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of First Solar stock traded down $2.90 during trading on Thursday, hitting $197.20. 3,774,660 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,823,447. First Solar has a 1 year low of $116.56 and a 1 year high of $285.99. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $241.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $235.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.88, a PEG ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 1.55.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $4.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.22 by ($0.38). The business had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.59 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 29.28%.First Solar’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.65 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that First Solar will post 13.05 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of First Solar by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,721,979 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $3,026,108,000 after acquiring an additional 464,130 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in First Solar by 2.1% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,326,082 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $881,680,000 after purchasing an additional 111,927 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of First Solar by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,919,991 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $761,396,000 after purchasing an additional 24,206 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP boosted 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. Finally, Amundi increased its stake in shares of 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. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Key First Solar News

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

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. tariffs on Indian solar manufacturers reduce potential low-cost competition for U.S. demand, which could benefit domestic suppliers like First Solar. India Tariff Article
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts and commentators view the post-earnings pullback as a buying opportunity — a “buy the weakness” thesis highlighting long-term project backlog and subsidy support (45X tax credits) for near-term profitability. Seeking Alpha Buy Thesis
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage noting First Solar’s role in clean-energy gains on the Nasdaq could support positive sentiment among sector-focused investors. Kalkine Media
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its price target (to $255) but kept an overweight stance — a mixed signal that reduces upside expectations while retaining conviction. Wells Fargo/PT Cut
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan also lowered price targets (Goldman to $300, JPM to $256) but maintained buy/overweight ratings, signaling confidence in medium-term fundamentals despite near-term revisions. Goldman/JPM PT Changes
• Neutral Sentiment: Market-wide weakness in the S&P 500 and tech dragged sentiment this week, amplifying pressure on cyclical/clean-energy names including FSLR. S&P 500 Weekly
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data reported is effectively negligible/ambiguous (zero shares reported), so short squeezes are unlikely to be a driver at present.
• Negative Sentiment: Management issued weak sales/guidance for 2026 and disappointing Q1 guidance, which triggered a sharp share decline as investors reassess revenue and backlog trajectory. Weak Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: First Solar reported Q4 EPS below consensus despite revenue beat; margin reliance on tax credits (45X) and tapering backlog raise longer-term risk concerns. Earnings Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research downgraded FSLR from “strong-buy” to “hold,” and other outlets note gap-down trading and steep short-term losses — analyst skepticism is pressuring sentiment. Wolfe Research Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz law firm opened an investor investigation, introducing potential legal/financial risk and adding to short-term uncertainty. Investor Investigation

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.