First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) Stock Price Down 5.1% – Should You Sell?

Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) were down 5.1% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $269.20 and last traded at $270.11. Approximately 855,475 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 3,280,190 shares. The stock had previously closed at $284.59.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on FSLR shares. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on First Solar from $201.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday, October 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of First Solar from $198.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Glj Research increased their price objective on shares of First Solar from $214.06 to $314.43 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $271.27.

First Solar Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $28.58 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.59. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $254.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $212.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 1.91.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $4.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.32 by ($0.08). First Solar had a net margin of 27.73% and a return on equity of 16.61%. The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.91 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 79.7% on a year-over-year basis. First Solar has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.000-15.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Michael T. Sweeney sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.11, for a total transaction of $1,219,995.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 13,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,703,904.82. The trade was a 24.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Georges Antoun sold 37,412 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.01, for a total value of $9,914,554.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 15,424 shares in the company, valued at $4,087,514.24. The trade was a 70.81% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 48,912 shares of company stock valued at $12,971,349 in the last 90 days. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Solar

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FSLR. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of First Solar by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,721,979 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $3,026,108,000 after buying an additional 464,130 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in First Solar by 2.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,326,082 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $881,680,000 after acquiring an additional 111,927 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in First Solar by 0.9% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,857,848 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $471,927,000 after acquiring an additional 26,476 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP raised its stake in shares of First Solar by 60.6% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,266,050 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $375,122,000 after purchasing an additional 854,919 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 38.6% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 2,025,835 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $459,917,000 after purchasing an additional 564,032 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

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.