First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Freedom Capital

Key Points

• Freedom Capital upgraded First Solar to a Strong‑Buy from Hold, though analyst opinions remain mixed overall with a MarketBeat average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $246.10.
• First Solar posted a strong Q1 beat — EPS $3.22 vs. $2.87 expected and revenue of $1.04B (+23.6% Y/Y) with a 30.7% net margin, bolstering its earnings and valuation picture.
• Insiders disclosed sales (largely to cover tax withholding on vested awards) and analysts warn of near‑term risks from pending trade/policy measures such as Section 232 and order timing despite the upbeat quarter.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Freedom Capital from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of First Solar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of First Solar from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of First Solar from $300.00 to $310.00 in a report on Friday, May 1st. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on shares of First Solar from $312.00 to $269.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of First Solar from $205.00 to $187.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, First Solar has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $246.10.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of FSLR opened at $218.00 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $23.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.57. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $197.53 and a 200-day moving average of $231.53. First Solar has a 1 year low of $125.80 and a 1 year high of $285.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a current ratio of 2.56.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. First Solar had a net margin of 30.73% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.95 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that First Solar will post 17.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at First Solar

In other First Solar news, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 498 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total value of $107,383.74. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 30,712 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,622,428.56. The trade was a 1.60% 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 this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 235 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total value of $50,673.05. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,406 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,596,955.78. The trade was a 3.08% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 81,204 shares of company stock valued at $16,043,186 in the last quarter. 0.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of First Solar

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in First Solar during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC acquired a new stake in First Solar during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in First Solar during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in First Solar during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in First Solar by 117.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 102 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company's stock.

Key First Solar News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat — First Solar reported stronger‑than‑expected results (EPS $3.22 vs. ~$2.87 est.; revenue +23.6% Y/Y to ~$1.04B) with robust margins, which supports earnings and valuation models. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Broker upgrade highlights policy upside — a recent Freedom Broker upgrade cited Section 232 (trade/policy tailwinds) as a potential catalyst for upside in FSLR. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst price‑target moves are modest — HSBC raised its PT to $231 (hold), reflecting the Q1 print and policy dynamics but not a broad re‑rating. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider sales disclosed on May 5 — CEO and several senior officers sold modest blocks of stock at ~the recent market level to cover tax withholding on vested awards; filings indicate routine, tax‑related sales rather than conviction selling, but markets can interpret clustered insider sales as a mild negative. Read More. and Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector/peer context — SolarEdge (SEDG) reported improving revenue but continued losses, underscoring mixed fundamentals across solar OEMs; useful for relative positioning but not a direct FSLR catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and demand uncertainty flagged by analysts — several commentary pieces warn that pending policy decisions (Section 232/201 and other trade measures) and order cadence could create short‑term demand risk and pressure near‑term multiples. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish analysis highlights downside scenarios — some analysts caution that module ASPs, order timing and policy finalization could expose FSLR to downside even after the earnings beat. Read More.

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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