Q1 Earnings Estimate for First Solar Issued By William Blair

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) – Equities researchers at William Blair issued their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of First Solar in a research note issued on Thursday, February 27th. William Blair analyst J. Dorsheimer expects that the solar cell manufacturer will earn $3.29 per share for the quarter. The consensus estimate for First Solar’s current full-year earnings is $13.05 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for First Solar’s Q2 2025 earnings at $4.32 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $3.88 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $6.63 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $18.11 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $23.43 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Guggenheim dropped their price target on shares of First Solar from $335.00 to $304.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on First Solar from $250.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on First Solar from $280.00 to $251.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on First Solar from $282.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, 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 note on Thursday, February 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, First Solar currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.08.

First Solar Stock Performance

NASDAQ FSLR opened at $131.23 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $170.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $196.30. First Solar has a 12-month low of $124.96 and a 12-month high of $306.77. The company has a market capitalization of $14.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.30, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.65 earnings per share (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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC bought a new position in shares of First Solar during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in First Solar during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in First Solar by 214.0% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of First Solar by 31.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. 92.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at First Solar

In related news, CEO Mark R. Widmar sold 21,542 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.09, for a total transaction of $3,039,360.78. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,403 shares in the company, valued at $14,589,129.27. This trade represents a 17.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Kuntal Kumar Verma sold 7,475 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.60, for a total transaction of $1,021,085.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $484,793.40. This trade represents a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.58% 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.