Swiss National Bank Has $64.75 Million Position in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Key Points

• Swiss National Bank trimmed its stake in First Solar by 4.8% in Q3 to 293,600 shares, valued at about $64.75 million per its SEC filing.
• Large institutional activity continues — Norges Bank opened a roughly $212.6 million position, Vanguard now owns 13.72 million shares (~$3.03 billion), Viking materially increased its stake, and institutions hold about 92.08% of FSLR.
• Insider selling has accelerated (CEO Mark Widmar and others sold shares; insiders disposed of 47,761 shares worth ~$9.28 million this quarter) and Pomerantz LLP is investigating investor claims; analysts have trimmed price targets but the consensus remains a Moderate Buy with an average target of $249.65.

Swiss National Bank lessened its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 293,600 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after selling 14,800 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.27% of First Solar worth $64,748,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in First Solar in the 2nd quarter worth about $212,621,000. Viking Global Investors LP grew its stake in 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 valued at $375,122,000 after acquiring an additional 854,919 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of First Solar by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,721,979 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $3,026,108,000 after purchasing an additional 464,130 shares during the period. Atreides Management LP acquired a new position in shares of First Solar in the 2nd quarter valued at about $65,134,000. Finally, Clean Energy Transition LLP lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 48.2% in the third quarter. Clean Energy Transition LLP now owns 1,117,228 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $246,382,000 after purchasing an additional 363,274 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at First Solar

In other First Solar news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 7,738 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.93, for a total value of $1,516,106.34. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 91,787 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,983,826.91. The trade was a 7.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 3,426 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.93, for a total value of $671,256.18. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,632,880.62. This represents a 29.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 47,761 shares of company stock valued at $9,276,424. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on FSLR shares. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of First Solar from $258.00 to $236.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of First Solar from $275.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. HSBC reissued a "hold" rating and set a $211.00 target price (down from $280.00) on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of First Solar from $303.00 to $256.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of First Solar from $291.00 to $271.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $249.65.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of FSLR opened at $200.25 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $21.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.65. The company's fifty day moving average is $230.08 and its 200-day moving average is $236.15. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. First Solar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $116.56 and a 12 month high of $285.99.

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

More First Solar News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on First Solar (keeps conviction in demand and growth outlook), which helps underpin buying interest despite a trimmed price target. Barclays coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and market write‑ups continue to highlight First Solar as a structural clean‑energy play (domestic manufacturing, CdTe technology, large utility backlog), supporting a constructive longer‑term case for the stock. Barchart coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Headline market action: FSLR rose as broader market dipped in the latest session — a short‑term flow effect rather than company‑specific news. Yahoo / Zacks trading note
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage points out FSLR has trailed some energy peers year‑to‑date; that relative weakness is market context that may pressure sentiment but doesn’t change underlying project demand. 24/7 Wall St. piece
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling on March 9–10: multiple senior executives (including CEO Mark Widmar and other officers) sold shares — a broad set of monetizations that investors often view negatively as reduced insider exposure. SEC Form 4 (CEO Widmar)
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP issued an investor alert saying it is investigating claims on behalf of First Solar investors — potential litigation or regulatory scrutiny raises near‑term risk and volatility. GlobeNewswire / Pomerantz alert

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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