First Solar FY2025 EPS Estimate Boosted by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Analysts at Zacks Research have raised their FY2025 earnings per share estimate for First Solar from $14.35 to $14.41, indicating strong anticipated growth in earnings for the solar cell manufacturer.
• First Solar reported Q2 earnings of $3.18 EPS, exceeding estimates by $0.50, while achieving revenue of $1.10 billion, which also surpassed projections.
• Institutional investors hold 92.08% of First Solar's stock, indicating significant confidence from large investment firms in the company’s future performance.

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research lifted their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of First Solar in a research report issued on Tuesday, September 23rd. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the solar cell manufacturer will post earnings per share of $14.41 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $14.35. The consensus estimate for First Solar's current full-year earnings is $13.05 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for First Solar's Q4 2025 earnings at $5.49 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $7.96 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $21.50 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $27.71 EPS.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $1.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 15.57% and a net margin of 28.95%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.25 EPS. First Solar has set its FY 2025 guidance at 13.500-16.500 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on FSLR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on First Solar from $241.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, September 19th. TD Cowen raised their price target on First Solar from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Bank of America raised their price target on First Solar from $185.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Hsbc Global Res raised First Solar to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on First Solar from $275.00 to $278.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $228.80.

First Solar Price Performance

FSLR opened at $215.73 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $193.72 and a 200-day moving average of $163.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.45, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.40. First Solar has a 12-month low of $116.56 and a 12-month high of $262.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Solar news, CAO Nathan B. Theurer sold 686 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.03, for a total value of $124,872.58. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 1,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $288,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 4,398 shares in the company, valued at $791,640. This represents a 26.68% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 32,315 shares of company stock worth $6,021,305. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of First Solar

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FSLR. Norges Bank bought a new position in First Solar during the second quarter worth $212,621,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in First Solar in the first quarter valued at $114,730,000. Viking Global Investors LP increased its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in First Solar by 16,857.8% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 759,033 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $95,965,000 after purchasing an additional 754,557 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in First Solar by 32.3% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,427,500 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $306,909,000 after purchasing an additional 592,444 shares in the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Solar Company Profile

First Solar, Inc, a solar technology company, provides photovoltaic (PV) solar energy solutions in the United States, France, Japan, Chile, and internationally. The company manufactures and sells PV solar modules with a thin film semiconductor technology that provides a lower-carbon alternative to conventional crystalline silicon PV solar modules.

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