Legal & General Group Plc Acquires New Position in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 649,113 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock, valued at approximately $153,165,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of First Solar in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,310,298,000. 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 valued at $761,396,000 after purchasing an additional 24,206 shares during the last quarter. Hill City Capital LP purchased a new position in First Solar during the second quarter worth approximately $620,133,555,000. Viking Global Investors LP lifted its position 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 worth $375,122,000 after buying an additional 854,919 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in First Solar by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,215,461 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $578,791,000 after buying an additional 189,626 shares in the last quarter. 92.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Samantha L. Sloan sold 127 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 2,018 shares in the company, valued at approximately $449,913.10. This represents a 5.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Michael Koralewski sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.51, for a total value of $1,550,570.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,692,779.42. The trade was a 47.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,081 shares of company stock worth $3,457,086. Company insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on FSLR shares. Mizuho set a $324.00 target price on First Solar in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $196.00 price target on First Solar in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of First Solar from $300.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $229.00 price objective (down from $249.00) on shares of First Solar in a report on Friday, July 31st. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $266.27.

First Solar News Summary

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

First Solar Stock Performance

FSLR opened at $210.10 on Friday. First Solar, Inc. has a one year low of $182.99 and a one year high of $320.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.58 billion, a PE ratio of 12.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.75. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $224.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $223.52.

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

First Solar 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.