Q2 EPS Estimates for First Solar Reduced by Zacks Research

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) – Research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q2 2025 earnings estimates for shares of First Solar in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, March 18th. Zacks Research analyst A. Dutta now expects that the solar cell manufacturer will post earnings per share of $4.17 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $4.60. The consensus estimate for First Solar’s current full-year earnings is $13.05 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for First Solar’s FY2027 earnings at $31.20 EPS.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.81 by ($1.16). First Solar had a net margin of 32.41% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The business had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on FSLR. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of First Solar from $297.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 target price (down from $300.00) on shares of First Solar in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of First Solar from $280.00 to $251.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of First Solar from $250.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of First Solar from $254.00 to $236.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $262.08.

First Solar Stock Performance

First Solar stock opened at $128.46 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.44. First Solar has a 1-year low of $124.96 and a 1-year high of $306.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.52. The company’s 50-day moving average is $157.42 and its 200 day moving average is $188.89.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Solar news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 1,272 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.96, for a total value of $169,125.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 109,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,492,640. The trade was a 1.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Alexander R. Bradley sold 599 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.75, for a total transaction of $80,116.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,114,648.75. The trade was a 1.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,311 shares of company stock valued at $4,767,158 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in First Solar by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,821,701 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $2,259,697,000 after buying an additional 120,289 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 2.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,956,633 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $1,236,383,000 after purchasing an additional 108,984 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,666,242 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $469,154,000 after purchasing an additional 63,739 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,359,846 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $415,899,000 after purchasing an additional 262,482 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of First Solar by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,835,056 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $323,410,000 after purchasing an additional 223,933 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar Company Profile

First Solar, Inc, a solar technology company, provides photovoltaic (PV) solar energy solutions in the United States, France, Japan, Chile, and internationally. The company manufactures and sells PV solar modules with a thin film semiconductor technology that provides a lower-carbon alternative to conventional crystalline silicon PV solar modules.