First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Insider Sells $103,286.77 in Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 479 shares on May 5 at $215.63 for $103,286.77 to cover tax withholding from vesting, trimming his position to 9,490 shares (a 4.8% decline) after a string of earlier sales this year.
• Strong Q1 results: First Solar beat estimates with EPS of $3.22 (vs. $2.87) and revenue of $1.04B (up 23.6% y/y), and the stock rose about 3.7% to $219.21 on the news.
• Outlook and sentiment: management reaffirmed FY26 guidance and highlighted a large contracted backlog, while analysts hold a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a $246.10 average price target despite several recent target cuts.

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 479 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total transaction of $103,286.77. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,490 shares in the company, valued at $2,046,328.70. The trade was a 4.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Kuntal Kumar Verma also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, April 15th, Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 573 shares of First Solar stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.00, for a total transaction of $120,330.00.
• On Tuesday, March 17th, Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 180 shares of First Solar stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.53, for a total transaction of $35,915.40.
• On Monday, March 16th, Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 392 shares of First Solar stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.80, for a total transaction of $78,713.60.
• On Tuesday, March 10th, Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 408 shares of First Solar stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.70, for a total transaction of $79,845.60.
• On Monday, March 9th, Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 1,386 shares of First Solar stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.36, for a total transaction of $263,838.96.
• On Wednesday, March 4th, Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 728 shares of First Solar stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.95, for a total transaction of $143,379.60.
• On Tuesday, March 3rd, Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 3,426 shares of First Solar stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.93, for a total transaction of $671,256.18.

First Solar Stock Up 3.7%

Shares of FSLR traded up $7.82 on Tuesday, hitting $219.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,163,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,362,970. 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 firm's fifty day moving average price is $198.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $231.85. First Solar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $125.80 and a fifty-two week high of $285.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.57.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.35. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 30.73%.The business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.95 EPS. First Solar's quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.33 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on FSLR shares. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of First Solar from $271.00 to $243.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of First Solar from $275.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of First Solar from $258.00 to $236.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $205.00 price objective (down from $264.00) on shares of First Solar in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of First Solar in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $246.10.

Key First Solar News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat — Q1 EPS of $3.22 (up ~65%) and revenue of $1.04B topped estimates, with margins and utilization highlighted as strengths. This is a primary driver of the rally. First Solar's Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Increase Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Policy optimism — a broker upgrade cites potential upside if Section 232 rulings favor U.S. module producers; investors are pricing that potential into FSLR. First Solar upgraded at Freedom Broker as Section 232 seen driving upside
• Positive Sentiment: Reaffirmed outlook & backlog — company report and market writeups note record Q1 revenue, reaffirmed FY26 guidance and a large contracted backlog (strong revenue visibility), supporting the bull case. First Solar (FSLR) Is Up 9.3% After Record Q1 Results And Reaffirmed 2026 Outlook Has The Bull Case Changed?
• Positive Sentiment: Sector tailwinds — coverage noting growing clean-energy demand and favorable sector dynamics supports sentiment toward FSLR. First Solar In Focus As Clean Energy Demand Shapes Nasdaq Composite
• Neutral Sentiment: HSBC raised its price target to $231 (hold) — a modest lift to upside expectations but stops short of a buy endorsement. HSBC adjusts price target on First Solar to $231 from $211, maintains hold rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Evercore nudged its target to $219 and kept an in-line rating — effectively neutral vs. current levels. Evercore ISI adjusts price target on First Solar to $219 from $212, maintains in-line rating
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and demand risk flagged — analysis warns that policy uncertainty and possible demand slowdowns could introduce meaningful downside if tailwinds (e.g., tax credits, tariffs) don’t materialize as expected. First Solar Suffers Regulatory/Demand Uncertainty - Wait On The Sidelines First
• Negative Sentiment: Bear case remains — other commentary emphasizes persistent downside risk tied to execution, margin pressures and macro/regulatory shocks. First Solar: Still Providing Plenty Of Downside Risk

Institutional Trading of First Solar

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FSLR. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in First Solar by 3.5% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,721,979 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $3,026,108,000 after buying an additional 464,130 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased 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 worth $761,396,000 after buying an additional 24,206 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP increased its position in First Solar by 60.6% during the second 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 last quarter. Amundi increased its position in First Solar by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,215,461 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $578,791,000 after buying an additional 189,626 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in First Solar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $392,040,000. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.