5,903 Shares in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR Acquired by Independent Financial Group LLC

Key Points

• Independent Financial Group LLC disclosed a new stake in First Solar, buying 5,903 shares valued at about $1.164 million in the first quarter.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with 92.08% of First Solar stock held by institutional investors and hedge funds, while several other firms also recently increased or initiated positions.
• Analysts are mixed but generally constructive: the stock carries a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $256.41, though some firms recently lowered or held targets amid caution.

Independent Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 5,903 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock, valued at approximately $1,164,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its stake in First Solar by 29.3% during the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,138,473 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $224,540,000 after buying an additional 258,204 shares during the last quarter. Atlatl Advisers LLC bought a new stake in First Solar during the fourth quarter valued at $1,697,000. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in First Solar during the 4th quarter worth about $5,304,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in First Solar by 1,054.3% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 52,219 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $13,641,000 after acquiring an additional 47,695 shares during the period. Finally, Genus Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth about $4,525,000. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FSLR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on First Solar from $252.00 to $237.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on First Solar from $269.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on First Solar from $230.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Freedom Capital raised shares of First Solar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Evercore lifted their price objective on shares of First Solar from $212.00 to $219.00 in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $256.41.

First Solar Trading Down 3.2%

Shares of First Solar stock opened at $205.31 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a current ratio of 2.56. First Solar, Inc. has a 52 week low of $171.99 and a 52 week high of $320.95. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $250.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $228.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.06 billion, a PE ratio of 13.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.73.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.35. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 30.73%.The company had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.95 earnings per share. First Solar's revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In other First Solar news, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 420 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total transaction of $90,564.60. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 10,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,349,504.48. This represents a 3.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 4,815 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.43, for a total transaction of $1,191,375.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 89,033 shares in the company, valued at $22,029,435.19. This trade represents a 5.13% 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 31,893 shares of company stock worth $7,893,775 in the last ninety days. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

First Solar News Summary

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

• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms, including Rosen, Faruqi & Faruqi, Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter, Kaplan Fox, and Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, issued reminders about the Aug. 24, 2026 lead-plaintiff deadline in a filed class action against First Solar, which keeps legal overhang front and center for shareholders.
• Negative Sentiment: Levi & Korsinsky said the case focuses on alleged misrepresentations about Series 6 module production underutilization and the challenges of onshoring operations to South Carolina, adding to concerns about operational execution and disclosure risk.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market-related articles also highlighted First Solar as a notable solar/green-energy name, but these pieces were broad industry commentary rather than company-specific catalysts.
• Neutral Sentiment: BMO Capital reportedly kept a Hold rating on First Solar, suggesting analysts remain cautious but not outright bearish on the stock.

First Solar Profile

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.

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