First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) CTO Sells $716,898.00 in Stock

06 Mar 2026, 00:44 by Tristan Rich · The Markets Daily

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR – Get Free Report) CTO Markus Gloeckler sold 3,640 shares of First Solar stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.95, for a total transaction of $716,898.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 8,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,582,887.15. The trade was a 31.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Markus Gloeckler also recently made the following trade(s):

On Tuesday, March 3rd, Markus Gloeckler sold 3,425 shares of First Solar stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.93, for a total value of $671,060.25.

First Solar Trading Down 2.8%

NASDAQ:FSLR traded down $5.47 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $191.80. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,898,407 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,695,042. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 2.35. The stock has a market cap of $20.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 1.65. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $237.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $236.55. First Solar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $116.56 and a twelve month high of $285.99.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $4.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.22 by ($0.38). The company had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.59 billion. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 29.28%.The company’s revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.65 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.05 EPS for the current year.

More First Solar News

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

Positive Sentiment: First Solar expanded its U.S. manufacturing footprint with a new Louisiana factory and plans for another in South Carolina — a strategic move that supports long‑term domestic capacity and potential contract wins. First Solar expands US manufacturing
Neutral Sentiment: Multiple firms cut price targets (Evercore trimmed its target to $212) while mostly keeping constructive ratings, signaling analysts expect longer‑term upside but see near‑term margin/pricing pressures. Evercore price target action
Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley and Barclays also lowered targets (to ~$230 and $228) but maintained overweight/overweight stances — important for medium‑term positioning but not an immediate bullish trigger. Morgan Stanley cuts Barclays cuts
Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest feed shows spurious zero/NaN values in recent data — treat claims of a big short surge as data errors; there’s no reliable short‑sale signal from those feeds today.
Negative Sentiment: Q4 earnings missed consensus and management issued weak 2026 guidance — this is the proximate cause of the recent sharp pullback and has raised doubts about near‑term margin recovery. Earnings/guidance coverage
Negative Sentiment: Large, concentrated insider stock sales on March 3 from the CEO, CFO, CTO and other senior executives (executed around ~$196) increase negative sentiment and can amplify price pressure. Widmar Form 4
Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP opened an investor investigation into First Solar, adding legal and reputational risk that typically weighs on sentiment until resolved. Pomerantz investor alert
Negative Sentiment: Independent commentators and outlets are highlighting structural risks (subsidy dependence, a cited “$2B problem”) and some high‑profile negative takes (including Jim Cramer’s comment on the weak quarter), which amplify bearish sentiment. Jim Cramer commentary
Negative Sentiment: Recent sell‑side downgrades (e.g., Freedom Capital to Hold with a lower target) are reinforcing caution among investors focused on near‑term execution and guidance. Freedom Capital downgrade

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on FSLR shares. BMO Capital Markets set a $263.00 price objective on shares of First Solar in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. DZ Bank raised First Solar to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on First Solar from $286.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on First Solar from $150.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered First Solar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $300.00 to $245.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $249.65.

Get Our Latest Report on First Solar

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Solar

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SFE Investment Counsel increased its holdings in First Solar by 9.1% in the second quarter. SFE Investment Counsel now owns 69,810 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $11,556,000 after buying an additional 5,852 shares during the last quarter. Joule Financial LLC bought a new position in First Solar during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $950,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of First Solar by 22.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 77,155 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $17,015,000 after acquiring an additional 13,904 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in shares of First Solar in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,323,000. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Solar in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,193,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.08% of the company’s stock.

About First Solar

(Get Free Report)

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.