Q1 EPS Estimates for First Solar Lowered by Seaport Res Ptn

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR - Free Report) - Seaport Res Ptn cut their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for First Solar in a research report issued on Friday, May 2nd. Seaport Res Ptn analyst T. Curran now anticipates that the solar cell manufacturer will post earnings of $3.94 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $4.35. Seaport Res Ptn has a "Strong-Buy" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for First Solar's current full-year earnings is $13.05 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for First Solar's Q3 2026 earnings at $6.57 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $7.15 EPS.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The company had revenue of $844.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $863.11 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.20 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on FSLR. Guggenheim dropped their price target on shares of First Solar from $253.00 to $202.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on First Solar from $267.00 to $240.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Mizuho raised First Solar from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price target for the company from $218.00 to $259.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on First Solar from $237.00 to $214.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut First Solar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $202.00 to $127.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $223.87.

First Solar Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of FSLR traded up $3.02 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $129.78. 2,065,764 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,861,190. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $130.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $165.06. First Solar has a 12-month low of $116.56 and a 12-month high of $306.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The firm has a market cap of $13.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.46.

Insider Transactions at First Solar

In other First Solar news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 103,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,589,129.27. The trade was a 17.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 599 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,717 shares in the company, valued at $6,114,648.75. This trade represents a 1.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of First Solar

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC raised its holdings in First Solar by 85.8% during the first quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 13,232 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $1,673,000 after purchasing an additional 6,110 shares in the last quarter. KFA Private Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 1st quarter worth $207,000. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. lifted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 24.1% in the first quarter. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. now owns 3,040 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $384,000 after buying an additional 590 shares during the period. Baldwin Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in First Solar by 2.6% during the first quarter. Baldwin Investment Management LLC now owns 7,407 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock valued at $936,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nemes Rush Group LLC grew its holdings in First Solar by 44.6% during the first quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 2,344 shares of the solar cell manufacturer's stock worth $296,000 after acquiring an additional 723 shares during the period. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.