First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Rating Lowered to Strong Sell at Zacks Research

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on FSLR. Argus reduced their target price on shares of First Solar from $300.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of First Solar from $320.00 to $253.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of First Solar from $291.00 to $271.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price objective (down from $264.00) on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Glj Research cut shares of First Solar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $314.43 to $207.82 in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $248.17.

First Solar Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR opened at $197.81 on Monday. First Solar has a 12-month low of $116.56 and a 12-month high of $285.99. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $223.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $236.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.23 billion, a PE ratio of 13.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

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

Insider Transactions at First Solar

In related news, General Counsel Jason E. Dymbort sold 9,022 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.62, for a total value of $1,800,971.64. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 9,850 shares in the company, valued at $1,966,257. This trade represents a 47.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 3,640 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.95, for a total transaction of $716,898.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 8,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,582,887.15. The trade was a 31.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 75,989 shares of company stock worth $14,921,902 over the last ninety days. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Stance Capital LLC increased its holdings in First Solar by 10,575.0% in the fourth quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 5,124 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,339,000 after buying an additional 5,076 shares in the last quarter. Forty three Eighteen Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at about $711,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 79.9% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 41,723 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $10,899,000 after purchasing an additional 18,537 shares in the last quarter. Green Ridge Wealth Planning LLC acquired a new position in First Solar in the 4th quarter worth about $234,000. Finally, Mengis Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in First Solar by 26.1% during the fourth quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,243 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $1,892,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Solar News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim maintained a Buy rating and cut its price target to $269 (from $312), still implying significant upside versus the current market price — a supportive institutional endorsement. Guggenheim price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Independent media and investor notes continue to flag First Solar as an undervalued renewable‑energy name (attractive forward P/E and CdTe tech advantages), a narrative that can attract value buyers on pullbacks. Polen/Yahoo investor letter on FSLR
• Neutral Sentiment: Evercore ISI trimmed its price target to $212 from $241 but kept an In Line rating — this is a recalibration of expectations rather than a bearish call, and signals modestly lower analyst estimates. Evercore ISI price target cut
• Neutral Sentiment: GLJ Research lowered First Solar from Buy to Hold, which dampens some buy‑side momentum but is less severe than a sell rating. GLJ Research downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Large, clustered insider selling: CFO Alexander Bradley sold 14,106 shares (a material reduction in his holding) and other senior officers (CEO, GC, CTO and others) also sold sizable blocks around $200. Investors often view concentrated executive sales as a negative signal for near‑term sentiment. CFO Alexander Bradley sale
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded FSLR from Hold to Strong Sell, which could pressure sentiment among retail and momentum traders. Zacks downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP issued an investor alert announcing an investigation into First Solar, introducing potential legal risk and headline‑driven volatility to monitor. Pomerantz investor alert

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.