California State Teachers Retirement System Lowers Holdings in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

California State Teachers Retirement System trimmed its position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 1.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 155,621 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after selling 2,740 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.14% of First Solar worth $30,698,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of First Solar by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,919,991 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $761,396,000 after purchasing an additional 24,206 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 854,919 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its stake in First Solar by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,215,461 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $578,791,000 after buying an additional 189,626 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in First Solar during the fourth quarter worth about $392,040,000. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group grew its position in First Solar by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,427,105 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $372,803,000 after buying an additional 100,908 shares in the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at First Solar

In related news, insider Georges Antoun sold 566 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.63, for a total value of $122,046.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 19,918 shares in the company, valued at $4,294,918.34. The trade was a 2.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 9,926 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.21, for a total value of $2,314,842.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 95,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,189,465.08. This represents a 9.45% decrease in their position. 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 a total of 31,893 shares of company stock worth $7,893,775 in the last quarter. 0.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded First Solar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $245.00 to $272.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Argus lifted their price target on First Solar from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Mizuho set a $237.00 price objective on First Solar in a report on Friday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of First Solar from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of First Solar from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $252.86.

Key Stories Impacting First Solar

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

• Positive Sentiment: Profit and margins exceeded expectations. First Solar reported second-quarter EPS of $3.92, well above the $2.99 analyst consensus and up from $3.18 a year earlier. Gross margin expanded to approximately 57%, while adjusted EBITDA rose to $644 million from $560 million. First Solar’s Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Decrease Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Strong long-term demand visibility supported the bullish reaction. Management highlighted a record backlog, 45.1 gigawatts of contracted sales at quarter-end, domestic manufacturing expansion, technology investments and policy-driven opportunities extending through 2030. The company also cited a cumulative production milestone above 100 GW. FSLR Q2 Earnings Call Highlights Domestic Solar Push
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts maintained bullish ratings. Goldman Sachs reiterated a Buy rating with a $310 price target, while Needham maintained Buy with a $303 target, citing attractive valuation, demand momentum and potential support from Section 232 tariffs. First Solar: Strong Q2 Beat and Solid Demand Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Full-year guidance was reaffirmed. First Solar maintained 2026 net sales guidance of $4.9 billion to $5.2 billion, broadly in line with expectations. However, the midpoint is slightly below consensus, limiting the upside from the earnings beat. First Solar Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue declined year over year. Sales fell about 4% to $1.06 billion, primarily because customer contract cancellations offset higher third-party module sales. The company is also navigating Section 232 tariff uncertainty and rising input costs. First Solar Sales Fall on Contract Cancellations
• Negative Sentiment: Securities litigation remains an overhang. Multiple law firms publicized a shareholder class action concerning alleged misrepresentations about tariffs and production challenges, with an August 24, 2026 lead-plaintiff deadline. These notices may pressure sentiment, although they do not represent a court finding of wrongdoing. Kaplan Fox First Solar Shareholder Notice

First Solar Trading Up 2.4%

NASDAQ FSLR opened at $211.03 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $245.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $225.23. First Solar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $171.99 and a twelve month high of $320.95. The company has a quick ratio of 2.15, a current ratio of 2.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company has a market capitalization of $22.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.01, a PEG ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.73.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $1.02. First Solar had a return on equity of 18.42% and a net margin of 32.47%.The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.18 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that First Solar, Inc. will post 17.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.