Whittier Trust Co. Lowers Position in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Key Points

• Whittier Trust Co. cut its stake in First Solar by 68.6% in the first quarter, selling 4,802 shares and leaving it with 2,202 shares worth about $431,000.
• Several other institutional investors remain heavily invested in the company, and overall hedge funds and institutions own 92.08% of First Solar’s stock.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but generally constructive: Deutsche Bank upgraded the stock to Buy and Wells Fargo raised its target, while the company also faces litigation risk from securities class action lawsuits ahead of an upcoming deadline.

Whittier Trust Co. lowered its position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) by 68.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,202 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock after selling 4,802 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.'s holdings in First Solar were worth $431,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in First Solar by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,919,991 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $761,396,000 after buying an additional 24,206 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP grew its position in shares of First Solar by 60.6% in 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 buying an additional 854,919 shares during the period. Amundi increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,215,461 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $578,791,000 after acquiring an additional 189,626 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth about $392,040,000. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its position in First Solar by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,427,105 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $372,803,000 after acquiring an additional 100,908 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company's stock.

First Solar News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank upgraded First Solar to Buy from Hold and raised its price target, saying the stock looks significantly undervalued after the recent selloff. First Solar Stock Keeps Falling but Deutsche Bank Upgrades It to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo also lifted its price target on First Solar, reinforcing the bullish analyst view that the pullback may have created an opportunity. First Solar NASDAQ: FSLR Given New $320.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company
• Neutral Sentiment: First Solar is expected to report second-quarter results soon, and analysts are forecasting a double-digit decline in earnings, which adds uncertainty ahead of the release. First Solar's Quarterly Earnings Preview: What You Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced or promoted securities class action lawsuits against First Solar, alleging misleading disclosures tied to tariff policy and international production, creating a legal overhang for the stock. First Solar (FSLR) Faces New Securities Fraud Lawsuits As August Investor Deadlines Near
• Negative Sentiment: The upcoming August 24 lead-plaintiff deadline has kept investor attention focused on litigation risk rather than fundamentals, which can weigh on sentiment. FSLR UPCOMING DEADLINE: Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Reminds First Solar (FSLR) Investors of Securities Class Action Lawsuit Deadline on August 24, 2026

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR opened at $224.30 on Thursday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $249.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $231.27. First Solar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $159.85 and a 52-week high of $320.95. The company has a market cap of $24.10 billion, a PE ratio of 14.49, a PEG ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a quick ratio of 2.15, a current ratio of 2.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.35. First Solar had a net margin of 30.73% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.95 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.61 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on FSLR shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "underperform" rating on shares of First Solar in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of First Solar from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. HSBC boosted their price target on First Solar from $211.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on First Solar from $275.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on First Solar from $252.00 to $237.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, First Solar presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $253.06.

Insider Transactions at First Solar

In related news, insider Caroline Stockdale sold 10,628 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.60, for a total value of $2,929,076.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 23,792 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,557,075.20. The trade was a 30.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, 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 company'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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 95,148 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,189,465.08. This trade represents a 9.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 32,466 shares of company stock worth $8,014,105. Company insiders own 0.39% of the company's stock.

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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