First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Lowered to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

FSLR has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Guggenheim decreased their target price on First Solar from $312.00 to $269.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets set a $263.00 price target on shares of First Solar in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. DZ Bank raised shares of First Solar to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on First Solar from $275.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Freedom Capital cut First Solar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $248.17.

First Solar Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FSLR opened at $197.81 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $223.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $236.24. The company has a market capitalization of $21.23 billion, a PE ratio of 13.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.65. First Solar has a 1 year low of $116.56 and a 1 year high of $285.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.67.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $4.84 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.22 by ($0.38). The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for 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%. First Solar’s revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.65 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that First Solar will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other First Solar news, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 3,426 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 14,106 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total value of $2,820,776.82. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 30,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,999,100. This represents a 31.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 75,989 shares of company stock valued at $14,921,902 in the last ninety days. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Solar

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in First Solar during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Solar by 117.0% during 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 period. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Solar during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

Key First Solar News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim kept a Buy rating and trimmed its price target to $269 (from $312) — still implying sizable upside and signaling institutional conviction despite the cut. Guggenheim price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Polen Capital highlighted First Solar’s CdTe technology and favorable policy momentum (“One Big Beautiful Bill”), reinforcing the company’s competitive positioning in utility-scale solar. Polen Capital investor letter
• Positive Sentiment: Several media/analyst pieces continue to label FSLR undervalued on forward P/E metrics, which can attract value-focused buyers and support mean‑reversion. Undervalued renewable energy roundup
• Neutral Sentiment: Evercore ISI lowered its price target to $212 (from $241) but retained an In‑Line rating — a recalibration rather than a downgrade that may temper upside expectations. Evercore ISI price target cut
• Neutral Sentiment: Small, routine insider sales were reported (e.g., CAO Nathan Theurer sold 96 shares); such filings are common and often reflect personal liquidity rather than a signal on fundamentals. InsiderTrades CAO sale
• Negative Sentiment: Concentrated executive selling: multiple senior officers — notably the CFO (large 14,106‑share sale), General Counsel and CEO — disclosed significant reductions in positions. Clustered large sales from top executives are amplifying negative sentiment and raising investor questions. CFO Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP issued an investor alert announcing an investigation into First Solar, introducing legal risk and potential headline‑driven volatility that investors should monitor closely. Pomerantz investor alert

About First Solar

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.