Fifth Third Bancorp Buys 11,279 Shares of First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Key Points

• Fifth Third Bancorp increased its First Solar stake by 219.3% in the first quarter, buying 11,279 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 16,422 shares worth about $3.24 million.
• First Solar is facing a mix of market sentiment: analysts still broadly rate it a Moderate Buy, but the stock has also been weighed down by recent weakness, insider selling, and class-action lawsuit headlines tied to tariff-related disclosures.
• The company recently posted better-than-expected Q1 results, with EPS of $3.22 on revenue of $1.04 billion, and it is scheduled to report second-quarter 2026 earnings on July 30.

Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 219.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,422 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after purchasing an additional 11,279 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in First Solar were worth $3,239,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in FSLR. Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in First Solar during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of First Solar in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in First Solar by 117.0% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 102 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 4,815 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.43, for a total value of $1,191,375.45. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 89,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,029,435.19. This represents a 5.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Caroline Stockdale sold 10,628 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.60, for a total transaction of $2,929,076.80. Following the transaction, the insider owned 23,792 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,557,075.20. This represents a 30.88% 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 sold 31,893 shares of company stock valued at $7,893,775 over the last quarter. 0.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key First Solar News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Some recent commentary remains constructive, with articles highlighting First Solar’s attractive valuation and brokerage ratings that still lean to a “Moderate Buy,” suggesting the stock may still have longer-term support from analysts and fundamental investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: First Solar announced it will report second-quarter 2026 results on July 30, which gives traders a clear near-term event to watch for guidance, margins, and commentary on tariffs, production utilization, and demand.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market articles noted the stock had recently been trading around fair-value estimates and reacting to broader solar demand and tariff expectations, indicating mixed sentiment ahead of earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced or reiterated class-action lawsuits and lead-plaintiff deadlines against First Solar over alleged misleading disclosures tied to tariff-related production decisions and facility underutilization, creating a legal overhang that can weigh on the shares. Article title
• Negative Sentiment: Trading commentary also pointed to recent weakness as investors weighed the lawsuit risk, insider selling, and caution ahead of the July 30 earnings release, which can amplify profit-taking in a volatile name like FSLR.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FSLR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Freedom Capital raised First Solar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Argus increased their price target on First Solar from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of First Solar from $230.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "underperform" rating on shares of First Solar in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Evercore raised their target price on shares of First Solar from $212.00 to $219.00 in a report on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, First Solar has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $256.41.

First Solar Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR opened at $211.99 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a current ratio of 2.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.69, a PEG ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.73. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $251.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $228.75. First Solar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $171.86 and a 52-week high of $320.95.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.95 EPS. First Solar's quarterly revenue was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.54 earnings per share for the current year.

First Solar Company 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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