Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Trims Holdings in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise reduced its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 15.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,245 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after selling 3,309 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in First Solar were worth $4,023,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in FSLR. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of First Solar by 1.7% during the third quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,287 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $504,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in First Solar by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,879 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $414,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC grew its position in First Solar by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC now owns 8,116 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,790,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Rathbones Group PLC grew its position in First Solar by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 4,930 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,087,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hemington Wealth Management increased its stake in First Solar by 22.9% during the third quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 306 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting First Solar

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on FSLR (keeps conviction in demand and growth) even after lowering its price target to $228 from $279 — a signal that analysts still see upside despite nearer‑term headwinds. First Solar Gains Analyst Support (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Media commentary highlights FSLR underperformance versus some energy peers this year, noting it has lagged while others surged — useful context for sector-relative positioning but not new company-specific data. FSLR Sinks While Peers Surge (24/7 Wall St.)
• Negative Sentiment: Large, clustered insider selling disclosed on March 9 — multiple executives (including CEO Mark Widmar, CFO and other senior officers) sold shares at ~ $190.36. Heavy, broad-based insider sales can raise short-term concern about insider conviction and may amplify downside if investors interpret them as signaling less confidence. See CEO filing. SEC Form 4 — CEO Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Investor litigation alert: Pomerantz LLP has opened an investigation into First Solar on behalf of investors — this can increase legal uncertainty and headline risk while an inquiry develops. Pomerantz Investigation (GlobeNewswire)
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamental headwinds flagged: reporting highlights a rapidly shrinking backlog and potential long‑term exposure to phasing-out U.S. tax credits (scheduled 2030–2033), which could pressure bookings and margins over time if not offset by new contract wins or policy extensions. Backlog & Tax Credit Risk (Yahoo)

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on FSLR shares. Mizuho reduced their price target 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. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their target price on shares of First Solar from $150.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of First Solar to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price target on shares of First Solar from $215.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of First Solar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $249.65.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of FSLR stock opened at $197.80 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $21.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.92, a PEG ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 1.65. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $231.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $236.41. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. First Solar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $116.56 and a 12 month high of $285.99.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 3,426 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.93, for a total value of $671,256.18. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,632,880.62. This trade represents a 29.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 7,738 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.93, for a total transaction of $1,516,106.34. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 91,787 shares in the company, valued at $17,983,826.91. This represents a 7.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 47,029 shares of company stock worth $9,133,172. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

First Solar Profile

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.