Strs Ohio Trims Stake in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Key Points

• Strs Ohio cut its position in First Solar by 62.1% in Q4, selling 125,996 shares and retaining 76,931 shares (~$20.1M); institutional investors collectively own about 92.08% of the company.
• First Solar beat Q1 expectations with $3.22 EPS vs. $2.87 consensus and record revenue (~$1.04B), and management reaffirmed FY2026 guidance while citing strong bookings (~1.9 GW), supporting near‑term growth visibility.
• However, the outlook is tempered by heavy insider selling, mixed analyst price‑target revisions, and ongoing trade/tariff policy risks that could boost volatility.

Strs Ohio decreased its position in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 62.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 76,931 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after selling 125,996 shares during the period. Strs Ohio owned about 0.07% of First Solar worth $20,097,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FSLR. Viking Global Investors LP grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 60.6% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,266,050 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $375,122,000 after acquiring an additional 854,919 shares during the period. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $174,059,000 after acquiring an additional 642,199 shares during the period. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,025,835 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $459,917,000 after acquiring an additional 564,032 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of First Solar by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,721,979 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $3,026,108,000 after acquiring an additional 464,130 shares during the period. Finally, Atreides Management LP bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $65,134,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting First Solar

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings and margins beat expectations: First Solar reported $3.22 GAAP EPS vs. consensus ~$2.87 and record quarterly revenue (~$1.04B), with notable margin expansion that improves near‑term earnings visibility. Company Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance reaffirmed: Management reconfirmed FY2026 net sales ($4.9B–$5.2B) and adjusted EBITDA ($2.6B–$2.8B), removing some uncertainty around full‑year expectations and supporting valuation models. Quiver Quant Article
• Positive Sentiment: Strong bookings and demand mix: Management highlighted gross bookings (1.9 GW) and growth in key markets (India and U.S. utility scale), signaling continued sales momentum. Earnings Transcript (The Motley Fool)
• Positive Sentiment: Secular demand thesis reinforced by management: CEO Mark Widmar discussed rising power demand (including AI data centers) and U.S. manufacturing scale on TV, underscoring long‑term growth drivers. CEO Interview (YouTube)
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance nuance — midpoint slightly below some sell‑side estimates: while guidance was reaffirmed, the midpoint was reported modestly under some analyst models, which could temper upside expectations. Yahoo Finance Recap
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and institutional positioning mixed: median price target sits well above current levels but firms have recently trimmed or raised targets unevenly; institutional flows show major rebalances. These mixed signals can limit conviction. Quiver Quant — analyst & institutional data
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy insider selling: recent disclosures show numerous insider sales (no purchases) over the past six months, which some investors view as a governance or timing concern. Quiver Quant — insider trading
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing trade/tariff and policy risk: multiple reports note management is navigating tariff and regulatory uncertainty; this remains a tail risk that could widen volatility despite the beat. MSN — Tariffs Article

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on First Solar from $300.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on First Solar from $205.00 to $187.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on First Solar from $275.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on First Solar from $303.00 to $256.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $205.00 price target (down from $264.00) on shares of First Solar in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $245.47.

First Solar Stock Performance

FSLR stock opened at $211.71 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.75 billion, a PE ratio of 13.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.57. First Solar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.47 and a 12-month high of $285.99. 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's 50 day simple moving average is $198.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.85.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.03 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 30.73%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.95 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 3,640 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.95, for a total transaction of $716,898.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 8,037 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,582,887.15. This represents a 31.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 7,738 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.93, for a total value of $1,516,106.34. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 91,787 shares in the company, valued at $17,983,826.91. The trade was a 7.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 76,562 shares of company stock worth $15,042,232. 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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