First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Hits New 12-Month Low After Analyst Downgrade

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday after Piper Sandler lowered their price target on the stock from $260.00 to $251.00. Piper Sandler currently has an overweight rating on the stock. First Solar traded as low as $168.60 and last traded at $170.0560, with a volume of 414223 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $175.16.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on FSLR. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of First Solar in a report on Monday. Evercore reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $218.00 price objective on shares of First Solar in a report on Monday, August 17th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of First Solar from $318.00 to $290.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of First Solar from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, First Solar currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $266.23.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Solar

In other First Solar news, insider Michael Koralewski sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.51, for a total transaction of $1,550,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,642 shares in the company, valued at $1,692,779.42. This trade represents a 47.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $160,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 5,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,168,400. This trade represents a 12.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders sold 15,881 shares of company stock valued at $3,617,086 in the last three months. 0.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

More First Solar News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler maintained an Overweight rating while lowering its price target modestly from $260 to $251. The revised target still implies substantial upside from current levels. Piper Sandler price target report
• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc upgraded First Solar to Hold, which is less bearish than its prior stance and may provide some support for the stock. KeyBanc rating upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: The broader sell-side view remains constructive, with First Solar receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating. First Solar analyst consensus
• Neutral Sentiment: Heavy investor search activity has increased attention around FSLR, but the reports do not identify a new company-specific catalyst. Investor search activity
• Negative Sentiment: KeyCorp reduced its EPS forecasts across 2026–2029, including 2026 earnings from $17.66 to $16.85, third-quarter EPS from $4.99 to $4.59, and fourth-quarter EPS from $5.76 to $5.12. The cuts place its 2026 forecast below the roughly $17.78 consensus and signal weaker near-term expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary cites rising bond yields as a headwind for solar stocks, since higher rates can increase project financing costs and reduce the appeal of renewable-energy investments. Rising yields pressure solar stocks
• Negative Sentiment: A recent Seeking Alpha analysis downgraded the stock, reflecting continued skepticism about whether First Solar’s long-term growth outlook is fully reflected in its valuation. Seeking Alpha downgrade analysis

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in First Solar during the second quarter valued at approximately $3,310,298,000. Hill City Capital LP purchased a new position in First Solar in the second quarter worth $620,133,555. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in First Solar by 7.0% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,535,836 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $362,396,000 after acquiring an additional 100,694 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in First Solar by 4.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,305,471 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $257,441,000 after purchasing an additional 56,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,261,472 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $329,534,000 after purchasing an additional 65,486 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Trading Down 2.7%

The stock has a market capitalization of $18.31 billion, a PE ratio of 10.49, a PEG ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.74. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $208.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $220.53.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $1.02. The company had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.02% and a net margin of 32.47%.First Solar’s quarterly revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.18 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About First Solar

First Solar, Inc is a solar technology and manufacturing company that designs and produces photovoltaic (PV) solar modules for utility-scale power projects. Unlike conventional crystalline-silicon panels, its modules use thin-film semiconductor technology based on cadmium telluride (CdTe), which the company says can provide advantages in energy yield, temperature performance and lifecycle sustainability.

The company’s product portfolio includes its Series 6 and Series 7 thin-film solar modules, along with related services such as technical support, module recycling and end-of-life collection.