Candriam S.C.A. Has $20.28 Million Stock Holdings in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Candriam S.C.A. lowered its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 8.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 102,792 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after selling 10,052 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in First Solar were worth $20,277,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in FSLR. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in First Solar by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,919,991 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $761,396,000 after purchasing an additional 24,206 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its holdings in First Solar by 60.6% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,266,050 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $375,122,000 after buying an additional 854,919 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in shares of First Solar by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,215,461 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $578,791,000 after buying an additional 189,626 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at about $392,040,000. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its stake in First Solar by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,427,105 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $372,803,000 after acquiring an additional 100,908 shares during the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting First Solar

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

• Positive Sentiment: Susquehanna raised its price target on First Solar to $270 from $250 and maintained a positive rating, signaling continued analyst confidence in the stock’s upside potential. Benzinga report on Susquehanna price target increase
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlighted First Solar as a strong value stock, which may support the longer-term investment case but is unlikely to move the shares on its own. Zacks value stock article
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms issued class-action reminders and lead-plaintiff deadline alerts tied to First Solar, reinforcing legal uncertainty and potential investor concern around the company. Newsfile class action alert
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage also tied the stock’s weakness to the earlier steep selloff and reduced 2026 guidance, which continues to hang over sentiment. PR Newswire class action alert

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on FSLR shares. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of First Solar from $269.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. UBS Group lifted their target price on First Solar from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “underperform” rating on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on First Solar from $230.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $245.00 to $272.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, First Solar presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $254.31.

First Solar Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:FSLR traded down $0.67 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $227.83. 1,337,585 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,725,917. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $250.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $230.97. First Solar, Inc. has a one year low of $159.85 and a one year high of $320.95. The company has a market cap of $24.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a quick ratio of 2.15, a current ratio of 2.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.35. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 30.73%.The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.95 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.6 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 9,926 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.21, for a total transaction of $2,314,842.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 95,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,189,465.08. This represents a 9.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 582 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $145,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 4,967 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,241,750. This represents a 10.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 32,466 shares of company stock worth $8,014,105 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

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.