First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Stock Price Target Cut by Royal Bank Of Canada

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada cut First Solar’s price target from $236 to $232 while maintaining an “outperform” rating, implying roughly 35% upside from the stock’s recent $171.48 price.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $257.20 target price, despite several firms recently lowering their targets.
• First Solar beat third-quarter EPS estimates at $5.30, but revenue fell 22.8% year over year to $1.23 billion, missing expectations; the stock traded down 3.1% and analysts cited weaker demand and delayed customer decisions as risks.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $236.00 to $232.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "outperform" rating on the solar cell manufacturer's stock. Royal Bank Of Canada's price objective points to a potential upside of 35.30% from the company's current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore reissued a "positive" rating and issued a $218.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on First Solar from $282.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of First Solar from $313.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of First Solar from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $255.00 price target on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, First Solar presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $257.20.

First Solar Trading Down 3.1%

Shares of FSLR traded down $5.41 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $171.48. 1,232,488 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,342,569. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.59, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.80. The business has a 50-day moving average of $189.51 and a 200 day moving average of $216.51. First Solar has a one year low of $165.86 and a one year high of $320.95.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.00, for a total transaction of $139,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 5,042 shares in the company, valued at approximately $877,308. This represents a 13.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Michael Koralewski sold 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.51, for a total transaction of $1,550,570.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,692,779.42. The trade was a 47.81% decrease in their position. 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 16,681 shares of company stock worth $3,756,286 in the last quarter. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of First Solar

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FSLR. Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Solar during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Vega Investment Solutions bought a new position in First Solar in the second quarter worth $40,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp bought a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in First Solar during the 2nd quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of First Solar during the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Hedge funds and other 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: 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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