Q1 EPS Estimates for First Solar Reduced by Zacks Research

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for First Solar in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, March 18th. Zacks Research analyst A. Dutta now anticipates that the solar cell manufacturer will earn $2.37 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $3.78. The consensus estimate for First Solar’s current full-year earnings is $13.05 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for First Solar’s Q3 2025 earnings at $5.00 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $6.27 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $17.81 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.82 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $6.43 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $7.71 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $8.48 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $25.44 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on FSLR. Mizuho raised First Solar from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $218.00 to $259.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $230.00 target price (down previously from $260.00) on shares of First Solar in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of First Solar from $273.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on First Solar from $282.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of First Solar in a report on Monday, March 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, First Solar has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.08.

First Solar Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FSLR opened at $131.32 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $156.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $188.05. 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 has a 12-month low of $124.96 and a 12-month high of $306.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.81 by ($1.16). First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. The company had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion.

Insider Activity

In other First Solar news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.60, for a total value of $1,021,085.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $484,793.40. This trade represents a 67.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.09, for a total value of $3,039,360.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,589,129.27. This trade represents a 17.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 34,311 shares of company stock worth $4,767,158. 0.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Solar

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FSLR. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at $317,399,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of First Solar by 75.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,097,364 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $523,166,000 after acquiring an additional 904,498 shares during the period. Demars Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 17,404.5% in the fourth quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 722,760 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $127,379,000 after purchasing an additional 718,631 shares in the last quarter. Mirova US LLC lifted its stake in First Solar by 961.0% in the 4th quarter. Mirova US LLC now owns 646,310 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $113,906,000 after acquiring an additional 585,394 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted 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 worth $336,871,000 after purchasing an additional 426,797 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

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.