Russell Investments Group Ltd. Raises Stock Holdings in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Key Points

• Russell Investments raised its stake in First Solar by 6.5% to 179,716 shares (about $39.8M), and institutions now own roughly 92.08% of the company.
• Significant insider selling occurred on March 9–10—executives including the CFO and CEO sold shares, with insiders disposing of 47,761 shares (~$9.28M) in the last quarter.
• First Solar reported quarterly EPS of $4.84 (miss vs. $5.22) and revenue of $1.68B (beat), while analysts trimmed targets but maintain a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $249.65.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 6.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 179,716 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after purchasing an additional 10,905 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.17% of First Solar worth $39,762,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FSLR. Joule Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar during the third quarter valued at about $950,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of First Solar by 22.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 77,155 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $17,015,000 after buying an additional 13,904 shares during the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of First Solar during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,193,000. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of First Solar by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,326,082 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $881,680,000 after acquiring an additional 111,927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenup Street Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in First Solar during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,147,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at First Solar

In other news, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 1,756 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.36, for a total value of $334,272.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 43,255 shares in the company, valued at $8,234,021.80. This trade represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Georges Antoun sold 791 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.36, for a total value of $150,574.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 18,784 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,575,722.24. This represents a 4.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 47,761 shares of company stock worth $9,276,424 in the last quarter. 0.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

First Solar Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of First Solar stock opened at $200.25 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $230.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $236.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.09, a PEG ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.65. First Solar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $116.56 and a 12-month high of $285.99. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $4.84 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.22 by ($0.38). The company had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 29.28%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.65 earnings per share. Analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on FSLR. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of First Solar from $279.00 to $228.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. UBS Group reduced their price target on First Solar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Freedom Capital lowered First Solar from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on First Solar from $275.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded First Solar from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $249.65.

Key Stories Impacting First Solar

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating (while trimming its price target), signaling confidence in demand and the company’s growth trajectory — this helps underpin buying interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Broader analyst/backing and coverage (several buys and outperform ratings from firms such as Guggenheim and Goldman cited in recent notes) reinforce a longer‑term bullish view even as some targets were trimmed — supports conviction among growth/value investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context: Zacks notes FSLR rose while the broader market dipped — a near‑term technical/flow event rather than fundamental news. Traders may have rotated into defensible renewable names on the pullback. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative performance note: commentary that FSLR has lagged some energy peers in 2026 is more market narrative than company news, but can weigh on sentiment/flows if investors favor cyclical energy winners. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling on March 9–10: multiple senior executives — including CEO Mark Widmar (5,537 shares, ~\$1.05M) and other C‑suite members — sold stock. The breadth of sales can be perceived as reduced insider exposure or opportunistic monetization and is a short‑term negative for investor sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz issued an investor alert investigating claims on behalf of First Solar investors — potential litigation/regulatory scrutiny increases uncertainty and is typically viewed as a near‑term headwind for the stock. Read More.

About First Solar

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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