OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp Makes New $2.84 Million Investment in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp bought a new stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 12,047 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,843,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of FSLR. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its position in First Solar by 29.3% during the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,138,473 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $224,540,000 after purchasing an additional 258,204 shares in the last quarter. Atlatl Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter worth $1,697,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of First Solar by 1,054.3% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 52,219 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $13,641,000 after buying an additional 47,695 shares during the last quarter. Genus Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth about $4,525,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth about $392,040,000. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FSLR has been the subject of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of First Solar from $300.00 to $310.00 in a report on Friday, May 1st. Freedom Capital raised shares of First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $318.00 price target on shares of First Solar and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of First Solar from $245.00 to $323.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on First Solar from $217.00 to $197.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $264.44.

First Solar Trading Down 0.7%

First Solar stock opened at $206.82 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $226.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.78. First Solar, Inc. has a 52 week low of $182.99 and a 52 week high of $320.95. The stock has a market cap of $22.22 billion, a PE ratio of 12.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.75.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $1.02. First Solar had a net margin of 32.47% and a return on equity of 18.02%. The company had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.18 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.77 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, General Counsel Jason E. Dymbort sold 3,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total transaction of $922,706.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 5,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,402,513.12. This represents a 39.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Michael Koralewski sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.51, for a total transaction of $1,550,570.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,692,779.42. This trade represents a 47.81% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 25,709 shares of company stock valued at $6,386,163. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting First Solar

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

• Positive Sentiment: Value appeal: Zacks identifies First Solar as a top-ranked value stock, potentially supporting investor interest given its reported earnings strength and relatively low valuation metrics. First Solar Is a Top-Ranked Value Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data offers no actionable signal: The latest report lists short interest at zero shares and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio, unchanged from the prior period. Because the figures include an apparent calculation error (“NaN” increase), they should not be interpreted as evidence of either short covering or heightened bearish positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang intensifies: Multiple law firms are promoting a securities class action against First Solar and seeking investors to serve as lead plaintiff. The reported claims focus on alleged misrepresentations regarding underutilization of Series 6 module production and the costly challenges of expanding manufacturing operations in South Carolina. The allegations have not been proven, but the repeated announcements may weigh on sentiment by raising potential financial, legal and reputational risks. First Solar Investor Alert Levi and Korsinsky First Solar Lawsuit Alert

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.