Zacks Research Lifts Earnings Estimates for First Solar

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research upped their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for First Solar in a research report issued on Tuesday, September 23rd. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the solar cell manufacturer will post earnings of $14.41 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $14.35. 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 Q4 2025 earnings at $5.49 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $7.96 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $21.50 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $27.71 EPS.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.50. First Solar had a return on equity of 15.57% and a net margin of 28.95%.The firm had revenue of $1.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.25 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. First Solar has set its FY 2025 guidance at 13.500-16.500 EPS.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on FSLR. Wall Street Zen raised First Solar from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. TD Cowen upped their price objective on First Solar from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Mizuho upped their price objective on First Solar from $275.00 to $278.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on First Solar from $202.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on First Solar from $188.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $228.80.

First Solar Stock Performance

First Solar stock opened at $219.17 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $194.77 and a 200-day moving average of $163.47. First Solar has a 1 year low of $116.56 and a 1 year high of $262.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The company has a market capitalization of $23.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.41.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Nathan B. Theurer sold 686 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.03, for a total value of $124,872.58. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 23,912 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.47, for a total transaction of $4,434,958.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 87,978 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,317,279.66. This represents a 21.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 32,315 shares of company stock worth $6,021,305. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of First Solar

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 126.9% in the 2nd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 152 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of First Solar by 138.9% during the second quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 172 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of First Solar by 69.4% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 183 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First Solar during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. 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.