First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) CTO Sells $139,200.00 in Stock

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.00, for a total value of $139,200.00. Following the transaction, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Markus Gloeckler also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, September 1st, Markus Gloeckler sold 800 shares of First Solar stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $160,000.00.
• On Tuesday, August 4th, Markus Gloeckler sold 829 shares of First Solar stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.00, for a total value of $205,592.00.
• On Monday, August 3rd, Markus Gloeckler sold 3,425 shares of First Solar stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.95, for a total value of $749,903.75.

First Solar Price Performance

Shares of FSLR opened at $174.61 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.80. First Solar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $168.60 and a 1 year high of $320.95. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $207.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $220.18.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $1.02. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. First Solar had a net margin of 32.47% and a return on equity of 18.02%. First Solar’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.18 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of First Solar

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Doliver Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of First Solar by 11.3% during the third quarter. Doliver Advisors LP now owns 4,271 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $748,000 after buying an additional 435 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of First Solar by 5.7% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,017 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $1,892,000 after buying an additional 435 shares during the period. Andra AP fonden raised its holdings in shares of First Solar by 25.1% in the second quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 97,856 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $23,090,000 after buying an additional 19,607 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Solar by 100.5% during the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 61,768 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $14,575,000 after acquiring an additional 30,967 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $232,000. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Patent lawsuit could protect technology and pricing: First Solar sued JA Solar and American Panel Solutions, reportedly a Corning subsidiary, alleging infringement of its U.S. patent covering manufacturing methods for TOPCon solar cells. Successful enforcement could help protect First Solar’s intellectual property and competitive position. First Solar Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against JA Solar and American Panel Solutions
• Positive Sentiment: Potential earnings support: First Solar has a history of exceeding earnings expectations. Analysts are watching the upcoming report for evidence that strong execution and the company’s relatively low valuation can offset industry headwinds. Will First Solar Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Higher put-option activity signals caution: Traders purchased 31,358 put options, about 21% above average volume. This indicates increased hedging or bearish speculation ahead of earnings, but it does not necessarily represent a change in the company’s fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: Inventory and policy pressures remain significant: Elevated U.S. solar-panel inventories, slower utility-scale project starts, tight pricing, and a new 15% tariff on polysilicon derivatives are complicating supply-chain planning and could pressure margins or near-term demand. How Investors Are Reacting to First Solar Inventory Glut, New Tariffs and Slower Project Starts
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst target reduction adds pressure: Piper Sandler cut its price target for First Solar, reinforcing concerns about near-term industry conditions and the stock’s substantial decline from its 12-month high. First Solar Stock Price Target Cut by Piper Sandler

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on shares of First Solar from $217.00 to $197.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $196.00 price objective on First Solar in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of First Solar in a report on Monday, September 28th. HSBC raised First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Mizuho set a $324.00 price target on First Solar in a report on Thursday, August 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, First Solar has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $266.23.

First Solar Company Profile

First Solar, Inc is a solar technology and manufacturing company that designs and produces photovoltaic (PV) solar modules for utility-scale power projects. Unlike conventional crystalline-silicon panels, its modules use thin-film semiconductor technology based on cadmium telluride (CdTe), which the company says can provide advantages in energy yield, temperature performance and lifecycle sustainability.

The company’s product portfolio includes its Series 6 and Series 7 thin-film solar modules, along with related services such as technical support, module recycling and end-of-life collection.