SIR Capital Management L.P. Invests $3.71 Million in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Key Points

• SIR Capital Management initiated a new position in First Solar during the fourth quarter, buying 14,194 shares valued at about $3.71 million.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with several other large investors adding to their stakes and 92.08% of the stock held by institutions overall.
• First Solar has seen mixed insider and analyst activity: the CEO and CFO sold shares recently, while analysts remain generally constructive, with Mizuho and UBS raising price targets and UBS keeping a buy rating.

SIR Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 14,194 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock, valued at approximately $3,708,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atlatl Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,697,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 3.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,721,979 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $3,026,108,000 after buying an additional 464,130 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 1,054.3% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 52,219 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $13,641,000 after buying an additional 47,695 shares during the last quarter. Bornite Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of First Solar in the third quarter worth approximately $22,053,000. Finally, Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Solar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,304,000. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at First Solar

In other news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 9,926 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.21, for a total value of $2,314,842.46. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 95,148 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,189,465.08. The trade was a 9.45% 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 hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 14,106 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total transaction of $2,820,776.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 30,000 shares in the company, valued at $5,999,100. This trade represents a 31.98% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 60,694 shares of company stock valued at $13,659,583. 0.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

More First Solar News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target on First Solar to $300 from $243, implying meaningful upside from recent trading levels and reinforcing confidence in the company’s outlook. Mizuho price target update
• Positive Sentiment: UBS Group also lifted its price target to $330 from $290 and maintained a buy rating, signaling continued optimism around First Solar’s growth prospects. UBS analyst update
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary this week highlighted that First Solar has outperformed the S&P 500 over the past year, with sentiment remaining moderately bullish on the stock’s longer-term growth potential.
• Neutral Sentiment: One recent market article compared First Solar’s performance with the broader S&P 500, underscoring that the stock is still being closely watched by investors for relative performance trends. First Solar vs. S&P 500 article
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate note said First Solar declined while the broader market improved, suggesting the move may reflect normal trading volatility rather than a company-specific negative catalyst. Zacks market comparison article

First Solar Price Performance

FSLR stock opened at $267.31 on Friday. First Solar, Inc. has a one year low of $135.50 and a one year high of $320.95. The company's fifty day moving average price is $231.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $233.65. 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 company has a market capitalization of $28.72 billion, a PE ratio of 17.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.71.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 30.73% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.95 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective 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. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of First Solar from $228.00 to $213.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of First Solar from $258.00 to $236.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of First Solar from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Glj Research downgraded shares of First Solar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $314.43 to $207.82 in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $250.99.

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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