Board of the Pension Protection Fund Reduces Position in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Board of the Pension Protection Fund reduced its position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 73.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,000 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after selling 2,700 shares during the quarter. Board of the Pension Protection Fund’s holdings in First Solar were worth $261,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of FSLR. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in First Solar by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 9,044 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $1,143,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in First Solar by 33.4% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 903 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $149,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the period. Creative Planning increased its stake in First Solar by 33.0% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 23,341 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $3,864,000 after purchasing an additional 5,789 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Solar by 24.6% in the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 9,166 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,517,000 after buying an additional 1,807 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of First Solar by 26.0% in the second quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 26,400 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $4,370,000 after buying an additional 5,441 shares during the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Glj Research cut First Solar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $314.43 to $207.82 in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. HSBC restated a “hold” rating and set a $211.00 price target (down from $280.00) on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. UBS Group decreased their price target on First Solar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of First Solar from $326.00 to $271.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $205.00 price objective (down from $264.00) on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $248.17.

More First Solar News

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

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. manufacturing expansion: First Solar plans a new module finishing line in South Carolina (late 2026) to improve logistics, reduce tariff exposure and increase U.S. content — a strategic move that supports long‑term policy tailwinds and could improve project economics and order visibility. First Solar Expansion And Institutional Support Shape Valuation And Risk Profile
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional support and continued Buy ratings from some firms: Guggenheim retained a Buy stance and kept institutional interest alive by keeping a constructive view even after lowering its target, which can help attract longer‑term investors. Guggenheim price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst recalibrations: Evercore ISI trimmed its price target to $212 but maintained an In Line rating — a moderated expectation rather than a full downgrade, suggesting operational/forecast tweaks rather than structural concerns. Evercore ISI lowers price target
• Neutral Sentiment: GLJ Research moved FSLR from Buy to Hold — another signal of more cautious near‑term expectations but not a consensus sell call. GLJ Research rating change
• Negative Sentiment: Concentrated insider selling: multiple senior executives (CFO, CEO, General Counsel and others) disclosed large share sales in close succession. Clustered, sizable insider dispositions can weigh on sentiment and raise short‑term selling pressure. Representative SEC filing: CFO Form 4. CFO Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Legal risk: Pomerantz LLP issued an investor alert announcing an investigation into First Solar, introducing potential headline‑driven volatility and litigation risk that investors typically dislike. Pomerantz investor alert
• Negative Sentiment: Broker downgrades: Zacks cut FSLR to a “strong sell” and other firms have trimmed targets — these negative analyst notes increase near‑term selling pressure and can influence quant/CTA flows. Zacks downgrade

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Solar news, insider Caroline Stockdale sold 335 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.80, for a total value of $67,268.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 34,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,839,248. This represents a 0.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 180 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.53, for a total transaction of $35,915.40. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,436 shares in the company, valued at $1,882,765.08. The trade was a 1.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 75,989 shares of company stock valued at $14,921,902. 0.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

First Solar Price Performance

First Solar stock opened at $199.65 on Friday. First Solar, Inc. has a one year low of $116.56 and a one year high of $285.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.67. The business has a fifty day moving average of $222.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $235.98. The company has a market cap of $21.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 1.65.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $4.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.22 by ($0.38). First Solar had a net margin of 29.28% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The company had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.65 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About First Solar

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.