Mizuho Issues Positive Forecast for First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Stock Price

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) had its price objective increased by Mizuho from $243.00 to $300.00 in a research note released on Friday,MarketScreener reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on FSLR. HSBC lifted their target price on shares of First Solar from $211.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Evercore lifted their price target on shares of First Solar from $212.00 to $219.00 in a report on Monday, May 4th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of First Solar from $300.00 to $243.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wolfe Research cut shares of First Solar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of First Solar from $303.00 to $256.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $250.99.

First Solar Stock Performance

NASDAQ FSLR opened at $267.31 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $28.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.27, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.71. First Solar has a twelve month low of $135.50 and a twelve month high of $320.95. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $231.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $233.65. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.35. First Solar had a net margin of 30.73% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.95 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that First Solar will post 17.61 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at First Solar

In other news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 582 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $145,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 4,967 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,241,750. This represents a 10.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total transaction of $107,383.74. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 30,712 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,622,428.56. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 60,694 shares of company stock valued at $13,659,583 in the last quarter. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Solar

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FSLR. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in First Solar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $392,040,000. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its stake in shares of First Solar by 60.6% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,266,050 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $375,122,000 after acquiring an additional 854,919 shares during the last quarter. Polar Capital Holdings Plc purchased a new position in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter worth $200,109,000. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. raised its position in shares of First Solar by 2,663.8% during the 4th quarter. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. now owns 666,307 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $174,059,000 after purchasing an additional 642,199 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi raised its position in shares of First Solar by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,025,835 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $459,917,000 after purchasing an additional 564,032 shares during the period. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting First Solar

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target on First Solar to $300 from $243, implying meaningful upside from recent trading levels and reinforcing confidence in the company’s outlook. Mizuho price target update
• Positive Sentiment: UBS Group also lifted its price target to $330 from $290 and maintained a buy rating, signaling continued optimism around First Solar’s growth prospects. UBS analyst update
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary this week highlighted that First Solar has outperformed the S&P 500 over the past year, with sentiment remaining moderately bullish on the stock’s longer-term growth potential.
• Neutral Sentiment: One recent market article compared First Solar’s performance with the broader S&P 500, underscoring that the stock is still being closely watched by investors for relative performance trends. First Solar vs. S&P 500 article
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate note said First Solar declined while the broader market improved, suggesting the move may reflect normal trading volatility rather than a company-specific negative catalyst. Zacks market comparison article

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.