Wealthfront Advisers LLC Acquires 4,878 Shares of First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Key Points

• Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its stake in First Solar by 52.7% in Q4, adding 4,878 shares for a total holding of 14,127 shares valued at about $3.69 million.
• First Solar beat expectations in Q1 with GAAP EPS of $3.22 (vs. $2.87 est.) and revenue of ~$1.04B, reported margin expansion, strong bookings (1.9 GW) and reaffirmed FY2026 guidance of $4.9B–$5.2B in net sales.
• Heavy insider selling has occurred recently—CEO and CFO sold significant positions (7,738 and 14,106 shares respectively) and insiders sold 76,562 shares over the last 90 days, which may concern some investors despite ~92% institutional ownership.

Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 52.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,127 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after acquiring an additional 4,878 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC's holdings in First Solar were worth $3,690,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of First Solar by 40.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 9,044 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $1,143,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Solar by 50.9% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 516 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in shares of First Solar by 84.3% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,529 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $750,000 after purchasing an additional 2,072 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 2nd quarter valued at $494,000. Finally, AXA S.A. boosted its stake in shares of First Solar by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 18,862 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $3,122,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115 shares during the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

First Solar Stock Up 4.9%

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR opened at $211.71 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $22.75 billion, a PE ratio of 14.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.46 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's fifty day simple moving average is $198.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.76. 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 (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. First Solar had a net margin of 30.73% and a return on equity of 18.44%. First Solar's revenue was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.95 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

More First Solar News

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

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In related news, 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 transaction of $1,516,106.34. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 91,787 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,983,826.91. This represents a 7.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 14,106 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 30,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,999,100. This represents a 31.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 76,562 shares of company stock valued at $15,042,232 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.39% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reduced 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 research note on Monday, April 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of First Solar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $300.00 to $245.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. DZ Bank raised shares of First Solar to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Argus reduced their price objective on shares of First Solar from $300.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of First Solar from $286.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, First Solar presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $245.10.

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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