Zacks Research Lifts Earnings Estimates for First Solar

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research raised their Q4 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of First Solar in a research report issued on Tuesday, December 9th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the solar cell manufacturer will post earnings of $8.92 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $8.26. 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 Q2 2027 earnings at $6.01 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $6.80 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $28.26 EPS.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $4.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.32 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.56 billion. First Solar had a net margin of 27.73% and a return on equity of 16.61%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 79.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.91 EPS. First Solar has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.000-15.000 EPS.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America lifted their target price on First Solar from $209.00 to $254.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $316.00 price objective on shares of First Solar in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $279.00 target price on shares of First Solar in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Needham & Company LLC began coverage on shares of First Solar in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $286.00 target price for the company. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of First Solar from $273.00 to $285.00 in a report on Friday, October 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $270.73.

First Solar Price Performance

Shares of First Solar stock opened at $254.80 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.57, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $250.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $207.13. First Solar has a 52 week low of $116.56 and a 52 week high of $281.55.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in First Solar by 5.9% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 956 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $211,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in First Solar by 3,712.5% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,220 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 1,188 shares in the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its position in First Solar by 14.4% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 22,893 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $5,049,000 after acquiring an additional 2,873 shares in the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment purchased a new position in shares of First Solar in the 3rd quarter valued at $240,000. Finally, Cambria Investment Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of First Solar in the 3rd quarter worth $343,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Solar news, insider Georges Antoun sold 37,412 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.01, for a total transaction of $9,914,554.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 15,424 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,087,514.24. The trade was a 70.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul H. Stebbins sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.40, for a total transaction of $1,836,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 15,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,011,308.80. This represents a 31.41% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 48,912 shares of company stock worth $12,971,349 over the last three months. 0.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.