Centaurus Financial Inc. Takes Position in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Centaurus Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,873 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,150,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of FSLR. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in First Solar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 117.0% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 102 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of First Solar stock opened at $210.10 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $22.58 billion, a PE ratio of 12.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.75. First Solar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $182.99 and a 12-month high of $320.95. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $224.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $223.52.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $1.02. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. First Solar had a net margin of 32.47% and a return on equity of 18.02%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.18 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting First Solar

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

• Positive Sentiment: BMO upgrades First Solar to Outperform: BMO Capital Markets raised its rating from Market Perform and increased its price target from $237 to $263, citing an overly severe post-Section 232 selloff and improved risk/reward. First Solar raised at BMO as post-Section 232 selloff looks overdone
• Positive Sentiment: Argus reiterates a Buy rating: Argus Research maintained its Buy recommendation and assigned a $275 target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. First Solar receives a Buy from Argus Research
• Positive Sentiment: Tariff reaction may have been excessive: A climate-finance expert argued that Wall Street misinterpreted the latest solar-tariff announcement. The view supports First Solar as a U.S.-based manufacturer that could benefit from policies favoring domestic solar supply chains. Wall Street misread the solar tariffs
• Positive Sentiment: Policy developments support domestic production: New restrictions on certain foreign bulk-power equipment and discussions around tariffs on imported polysilicon could improve the competitive position of U.S. solar manufacturers, although any government support remains speculative. Why are solar stocks rising overnight?
• Neutral Sentiment: First Solar’s latest reported quarter exceeded earnings expectations, with $3.92 in EPS versus a $2.90 consensus estimate, though revenue declined year over year. Analysts currently project approximately $17.77 in full-year EPS.
• Negative Sentiment: Not all market commentary is bullish: Jim Cramer advised caution on First Solar, while an earlier comparison showed some solar peers benefiting more directly from equipment-import restrictions. Policy uncertainty and tariff implementation remain risks. Jim Cramer commentary on First Solar

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on FSLR. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of First Solar in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Mizuho set a $324.00 price target on shares of First Solar in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price objective on First Solar from $217.00 to $197.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded First Solar from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on First Solar from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $266.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Samantha L. Sloan sold 127 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.95, for a total transaction of $28,314.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 2,018 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $449,913.10. The trade was a 5.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 3,425 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.95, for a total value of $749,903.75. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 7,471 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,635,775.45. This represents a 31.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,081 shares of company stock worth $3,457,086. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

First Solar Company 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.