What is Roth Capital's Forecast for First Solar Q1 Earnings?

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Roth Capital dropped their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for First Solar in a research note issued on Wednesday, April 30th. Roth Capital analyst P. Shen now forecasts that the solar cell manufacturer will earn $3.19 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $3.30. The consensus estimate for First Solar's current full-year earnings is $13.05 per share.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on FSLR. Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of First Solar from $253.00 to $202.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $280.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. TD Cowen cut their price target on First Solar from $275.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of First Solar from $240.00 to $235.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Glj Research raised shares of First Solar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $172.37 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $223.87.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR traded down $0.73 during trading on Thursday, reaching $126.43. 1,394,313 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,855,212. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $130.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $165.33. First Solar has a 52-week low of $116.56 and a 52-week high of $306.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.56 billion, a PE ratio of 10.89, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $1.95 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 analysts' expectations of $863.11 million. First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.20 earnings per share.

Institutional Trading of First Solar

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FSLR. Virtu Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Solar by 38.5% during the third quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 8,041 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $2,006,000 after buying an additional 2,235 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc grew its stake in First Solar by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 12,449 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $3,105,000 after purchasing an additional 1,199 shares during the last quarter. Blankinship & Foster LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar during the third quarter worth about $935,000. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp raised its position in First Solar by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 24,553 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $6,125,000 after buying an additional 6,135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 10.4% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 131,634 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $32,835,000 after acquiring an additional 12,439 shares during the period. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.60, for a total transaction of $1,021,085.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,549 shares in the company, valued at $484,793.40. The trade was a 67.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 380 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $50,825.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 17,594 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,353,197.50. This trade represents a 2.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.