Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Boosts Holdings in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 246,220 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,894 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in First Solar were worth $54,299,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of First Solar by 0.4% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,257,849 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $2,194,704,000 after buying an additional 57,507 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in First Solar by 2.1% in 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 acquiring an additional 111,927 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in First Solar by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,857,848 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $471,927,000 after purchasing an additional 26,476 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP grew its stake in shares of First Solar by 60.6% during the 2nd 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, Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in shares of First Solar by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,350,084 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $223,493,000 after purchasing an additional 47,646 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about First Solar

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

• Positive Sentiment: USPTO denied multiple inter partes review petitions that sought to invalidate First Solar’s TOPCon patents, preserving key intellectual property and reducing competitive risk for its cell technology. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: RBC Capital Markets raised its price target on FSLR from $244 to $258 and reiterated an outperform rating, providing dealer-led validation of the stock’s earnings and growth outlook. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media previews expect a strong Q4 (analysts forecast double‑digit EPS growth), which could support upside if First Solar meets or beats estimates; conversely, any guidance shortfall could trigger a pullback. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Lithium Australia’s Livium completed a phase of shipments involving First Solar panels to South Korea as part of a silver‑recovery/recycling push — a small but positive signal of downstream demand and recycling interest that could modestly bolster component demand or reputational benefits. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some outlets reported short‑term selling or cautious headlines around patent-related news (headline framed as “Falter on Patent News”), which can amplify intraday volatility despite the USPTO rulings; media-driven sentiment swings could pressure the stock if momentum traders react. Article Title

First Solar Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR opened at $243.72 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $26.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.60. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $257.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $226.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. First Solar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $116.56 and a 52-week high of $285.99.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $4.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.32 by ($0.08). First Solar had a return on equity of 16.61% and a net margin of 27.73%.The company had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.91 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 79.7% on a year-over-year basis. First Solar has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.000-15.000 EPS. Equities analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on FSLR. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of First Solar from $240.00 to $264.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of First Solar from $240.90 to $241.00 in a report on Friday, October 31st. Daiwa Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of First Solar from $215.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of First Solar from $198.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $277.24.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In other news, Director Michael T. Sweeney sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.11, for a total value of $1,219,995.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 13,662 shares in the company, valued at $3,703,904.82. This trade represents a 24.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Georges Antoun sold 37,412 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $265.01, for a total value of $9,914,554.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 15,424 shares in the company, valued at $4,087,514.24. This represents a 70.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 48,912 shares of company stock valued at $12,971,349 over the last quarter. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.