Freestone Grove Partners LP Acquires New Shares in First Solar, Inc. $FSLR

Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 30,449 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock, valued at approximately $7,185,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of FSLR. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in First Solar by 18.2% during the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 292 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 2,026 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $478,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. FIL Ltd grew its stake in shares of First Solar by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 708 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $185,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Fielder Capital Group LLC grew its stake in shares of First Solar by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Burford Brothers Inc. raised its holdings in shares of First Solar by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Burford Brothers Inc. now owns 19,080 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $4,984,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

First Solar News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: BMO upgraded First Solar to Outperform and raised its price target to $263 from $237, implying substantial upside from the reference price. BMO reportedly believes the market reaction to the latest Section 232 tariff developments was overdone. BMO upgrades First Solar as tariff selloff looks overdone
• Positive Sentiment: Argus reiterated a Buy rating on First Solar, reinforcing the view that the company’s valuation and long-term growth prospects remain attractive despite recent volatility. Argus reiterates Buy rating for First Solar
• Positive Sentiment: A climate-finance expert said Wall Street may have misinterpreted the market’s response to the latest solar-tariff announcement, potentially easing concerns that trade policy will materially damage First Solar’s outlook. Wall Street misread the solar tariffs
• Positive Sentiment: An emergency order restricting certain foreign bulk-power-system equipment and software could benefit U.S. solar and energy-equipment manufacturers by supporting domestic suppliers, although the direct impact on First Solar is uncertain. Why solar stocks were rising overnight
• Neutral Sentiment: First Solar’s latest quarterly results exceeded earnings expectations, but revenue declined year over year, leaving investors focused on policy developments and future demand rather than the reported quarter.
• Negative Sentiment: Jim Cramer advised investors to stay away from First Solar, while Evercore ISI maintained an In-Line rating and trimmed its price target to $218, highlighting continued analyst disagreement and near-term uncertainty. Jim Cramer comments on First Solar

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other First Solar news, insider Michael Koralewski sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.51, for a total transaction of $1,550,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,692,779.42. This trade represents a 47.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, General Counsel Jason E. Dymbort sold 3,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total transaction of $922,706.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 5,624 shares in the company, valued at $1,402,513.12. This trade represents a 39.68% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,081 shares of company stock valued at $3,457,086. 0.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on FSLR shares. Mizuho set a $324.00 price objective on shares of First Solar in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of First Solar from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. UBS Group boosted 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. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on First Solar in a report on Thursday. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on First Solar from $300.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.27.

First Solar Stock Down 2.7%

FSLR stock opened at $204.46 on Friday. First Solar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $182.99 and a twelve month high of $320.95. The stock has a market cap of $21.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.61, a PEG ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.75. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $223.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $223.38.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $1.02. The company had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.18 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect 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.