Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. Has $44.59 Million Stake in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Key Points

• Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management trimmed its First Solar stake by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, but still held 170,690 shares worth about $44.6 million at quarter-end.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with several major funds increasing positions, including Norges Bank, Viking Global, and Vanguard; overall, institutions and hedge funds own 92.08% of First Solar shares.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on First Solar despite some target cuts, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $250.99. The company also recently beat earnings expectations, reporting $3.22 EPS on $1.04 billion in revenue, up 23.6% year over year.

Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. trimmed its holdings in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 170,690 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after selling 6,416 shares during the quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. owned about 0.16% of First Solar worth $44,589,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of FSLR. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar in the fourth quarter valued at about $392,040,000. Viking Global Investors LP grew its position in shares of First Solar by 60.6% in the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,266,050 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $375,122,000 after purchasing an additional 854,919 shares during the last quarter. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. grew its position in shares of First Solar by 2,663.8% in the fourth quarter. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. now owns 666,307 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $174,059,000 after purchasing an additional 642,199 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in shares of First Solar by 38.6% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 2,025,835 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $459,917,000 after purchasing an additional 564,032 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $3,026,108,000 after purchasing an additional 464,130 shares during the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on FSLR. Citigroup lowered their price target on First Solar from $300.00 to $243.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on First Solar from $286.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. TD Cowen lowered their price target on First Solar from $320.00 to $253.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on First Solar from $300.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Argus raised their price target on First Solar from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $250.99.

First Solar Trading Down 1.4%

First Solar stock opened at $267.31 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $231.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $233.65. The company has a quick ratio of 2.15, a current ratio of 2.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The stock has a market cap of $28.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.71. First Solar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $135.50 and a 12 month high of $320.95.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.95 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.61 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at First Solar

In other First Solar news, insider Caroline Stockdale sold 10,628 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.60, for a total transaction of $2,929,076.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 23,792 shares in the company, valued at $6,557,075.20. This trade represents a 30.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 9,926 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.21, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 9.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 60,694 shares of company stock worth $13,659,583. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting First Solar

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 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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