Q1 Earnings Forecast for First Solar Issued By Roth Capital

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Roth Capital decreased their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of First Solar in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, April 30th. Roth Capital analyst P. Shen now expects that the solar cell manufacturer will post earnings per share of $3.19 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $3.30. The consensus estimate for First Solar's current full-year earnings is $13.05 per share.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on FSLR. Glj Research raised shares of First Solar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $172.37 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of First Solar from $230.00 to $205.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Truist Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $200.00 target price (down previously from $245.00) on shares of First Solar in a research note on Thursday. Susquehanna dropped their price target on First Solar from $223.00 to $217.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded First Solar from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $218.00 to $259.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $223.87.

First Solar Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR traded up $3.97 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $130.54. 3,393,776 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,857,118. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The business's fifty day moving average price is $131.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $166.11. The company has a market cap of $14.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.24, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.48. First Solar has a 12-month low of $116.56 and a 12-month high of $306.77.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $1.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.50 by ($0.55). The business had revenue of $844.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $863.11 million. First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. First Solar's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.20 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in First Solar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $317,399,000. Demars Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in First Solar by 17,404.5% in the 4th quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 722,760 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $127,379,000 after purchasing an additional 718,631 shares during the period. Mirova US LLC lifted its position in First Solar by 961.0% during the fourth quarter. Mirova US LLC now owns 646,310 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $113,906,000 after purchasing an additional 585,394 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its holdings in First Solar by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,805,244 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $336,871,000 after purchasing an additional 426,797 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in First Solar by 218.6% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 446,799 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $78,744,000 after buying an additional 306,581 shares in the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 599 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total value of $80,116.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,717 shares in the company, valued at $6,114,648.75. The trade was a 1.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.09, for a total transaction of $3,039,360.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 103,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,589,129.27. This represents a 17.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158 in the last three months. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About First Solar

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.