Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 33,025 Shares of First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group reduced its First Solar stake by 20.2% in the first quarter, selling 33,025 shares and leaving it with 130,312 shares valued at about $25.7 million.
• First Solar reported better-than-expected earnings of $3.22 per share on revenue of $1.04 billion, with revenue up 23.6% year over year and quarterly EPS well above last year’s $1.95.
• The stock faces some legal and analyst caution, including class-action lawsuit reminders and mixed Wall Street views, though the consensus rating remains Moderate Buy with a price target of $256.41.

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 20.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 130,312 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after selling 33,025 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.12% of First Solar worth $25,705,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in FSLR. Norges Bank bought a new position in First Solar during the 4th quarter worth about $392,040,000. Viking Global Investors LP lifted its holdings in First Solar by 60.6% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,266,050 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $375,122,000 after buying an additional 854,919 shares during the period. Polar Capital Holdings Plc purchased a new stake in First Solar during the fourth quarter worth $200,109,000. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. boosted its position in First Solar by 2,663.8% during the 4th quarter. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. now owns 666,307 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $174,059,000 after acquiring an additional 642,199 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in First Solar by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,025,835 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $459,917,000 after acquiring an additional 564,032 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

First Solar Trading Down 3.2%

NASDAQ FSLR opened at $205.31 on Tuesday. First Solar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $171.99 and a 12-month high of $320.95. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $250.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $228.33. The company has a current ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The stock has a market cap of $22.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.26, a P/E/G 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 (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.95 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting First Solar

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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings raised First Solar from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. HSBC lifted their target price on First Solar from $211.00 to $231.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of First Solar from $300.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Friday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of First Solar from $252.00 to $237.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of First Solar from $205.00 to $187.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $256.41.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Georges Antoun sold 566 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total transaction of $122,046.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 19,918 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,294,918.34. The trade was a 2.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 9,926 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.21, for a total transaction of $2,314,842.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 95,148 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,189,465.08. The trade was a 9.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 valued at $7,893,775 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.39% of the company's stock.

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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