First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Given New $260.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Key Points

• Wells Fargo lowered First Solar’s price target from $313 to $260 while maintaining an “overweight” rating, implying approximately 52% upside from the reported $170.59 share price.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with MarketBeat reporting a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $257.33, despite several firms recently cutting their targets.
• First Solar beat third-quarter EPS expectations with $5.30 per share versus $4.67 expected, but revenue fell 22.8% year over year to $1.23 billion, missing estimates and highlighting weaker demand and delayed customer decisions.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) had its target price lowered by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $313.00 to $260.00 in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the solar cell manufacturer's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective points to a potential upside of 52.41% from the company's current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Citigroup lowered shares of First Solar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of First Solar from $256.00 to $252.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 19th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of First Solar from $279.00 to $259.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 15th. HSBC raised First Solar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated a "market perform" rating on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $257.33.

First Solar Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FSLR traded down $6.30 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $170.59. 1,124,585 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,342,071. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.80. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $189.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $216.51. First Solar has a 1 year low of $165.86 and a 1 year high of $320.95.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $5.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.63. The company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.29 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.02% and a net margin of 32.47%. First Solar's revenue was down 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.24 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that First Solar will post 17.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In other news, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 1st. The stock was 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, General Counsel Jason Dymbort sold 3,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total transaction of $922,706.00. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 5,624 shares in the company, valued at $1,402,513.12. The trade was a 39.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 16,681 shares of company stock worth $3,756,286 over the last three months. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of First Solar

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of FSLR. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,310,298,000. Hill City Capital LP bought a new position in shares of First Solar in the 2nd quarter valued at $620,133,555. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in First Solar in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $212,626,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in First Solar in the second quarter valued at $171,043,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of First Solar during the 2nd quarter valued at $164,962,000. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about First Solar

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

• Positive Sentiment: First Solar reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $5.30 per share, above the roughly $4.64–$4.67 analyst consensus and up from $4.24 a year earlier. Cost controls and strong margins helped produce the earnings beat. First Solar Tops Q3 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company authorized a $500 million share-repurchase program, which could support per-share earnings and signal management’s confidence in the long-term business outlook. First Solar Announces Third Quarter Results and Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: First Solar signed a non-exclusive U.S. patent licensing agreement with CubicPV covering perovskite technology, potentially expanding its future solar-product development options. First Solar and CubicPV Patent Licensing Agreement
• Positive Sentiment: Needham maintained a “buy” rating, although it reduced its price target to $236 from $303, leaving substantial implied upside from recent trading levels.
• Neutral Sentiment: First Solar inaugurated the first phase of its South Carolina facility. The approximately $330 million project is expected to reach 3.4 gigawatts of annual capacity after its second phase is completed in 2027, strengthening domestic manufacturing capacity but requiring significant investment. First Solar South Carolina Facility
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue fell 22.8% year over year to $1.23 billion, missing the $1.29 billion consensus. Management also cut its 2026 outlook as customer decisions were delayed and demand weakened, overshadowing the EPS beat. FSLR Q3 Earnings Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts responded by lowering estimates and price targets. GLJ Research downgraded FSLR to “hold” with a $161 target, while Bernstein cut its target to $169 and retained an “underperform” rating. Higher interest rates also remain a risk for solar-project economics.

About First Solar

First Solar, Inc is a vertically integrated solar technology and manufacturing company that designs, manufactures and sells photovoltaic (PV) solar modules. Its modules use advanced thin-film semiconductor technology based on cadmium telluride (CdTe), rather than the crystalline-silicon technology used by most solar manufacturers. The company serves utility-scale solar developers, commercial and industrial customers, and other large-scale energy users.

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, First Solar operates research and development, manufacturing and recycling facilities in the United States and internationally.

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