First Solar Inc. stock reacts to diverging analyst calls as shares trade near recent highs

Published on 09/10/2026 at 18:44 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

First Solar Inc. stock is trading around USD 272.21 as of September 10, 2026, while DZ Bank and Piper Sandler publish sharply different price targets. Recent earnings and margin data underline why analysts are split on the solar manufacturer.

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First Solar Inc. stock (ISIN US3364331070) is changing hands around USD 272.21 on Nasdaq as of September 10, 2026, with the share price up 1.05% in the latest completed session and roughly 49.05% higher than a year ago, according to data from ChartMill for ticker FSLR.

Analyst views on First Solar diverge sharply

Analyst coverage of First Solar Inc. has intensified in early September 2026, and the latest ratings show a striking gap in how banks value the solar module producer. According to Futunn on September 10, 2026, DZ Bank AG analyst Aristotelis Moutopoulos has initiated coverage of First Solar with a Sell rating and set a target price of USD 185, implying downside of about 32.0% from the USD 272.21 level cited by ChartMill.

In contrast, Piper Sandler has taken a much more optimistic stance on the stock. As Benzinga reported on September 9, 2026, Piper Sandler initiated coverage on First Solar with an Overweight rating and announced a price target of USD 260, which sits only modestly below the current price and suggests the analyst sees the stock close to fair value at present levels.

The broader analyst community also leans constructive, even if individual calls differ. According to ChartMill on September 10, 2026, a total of 47 analysts cover First Solar, and their average price target stands at USD 275.38, slightly above the current USD 272.21 share price and indicating limited aggregate upside of about 1.2%.

Fundamentals and margins underpin the valuation debate

Recent fundamental performance helps explain why First Solar Inc. has attracted both bullish and cautious analyst views. Over the last trailing twelve months, First Solar reported non-GAAP earnings per share of USD 13.02, which represents EPS growth of 8.05% compared with the preceding twelve-month period, according to ChartMill.

Profitability metrics are also robust for a manufacturer in a capital-intensive industry. The same overview from ChartMill notes that First Solar achieves a trailing-twelve-month profit margin of 27.73%, a level that many investors consider strong for the solar sector and that helps justify premium valuation multiples versus less profitable peers.

Looking ahead, analysts anticipate the company can still grow from this base, although the expected growth rates are not explosive. According to forecasts summarized by ChartMill, the consensus projects EPS growth of 19.75% and revenue growth of 21.88% for First Solar over the next year, suggesting continued expansion but also raising the question of how much of that growth is already priced into a share price that has risen nearly 50% over the past twelve months.

Valuation, risk factors and GF Value context

Beyond headline EPS and margin figures, valuation tools offer another lens on First Solar Inc. stock. As GuruFocus reported on September 9, 2026, its proprietary GF Value metric for First Solar stands at USD 253.43. With the current price around USD 205.89 at the time of that analysis, GuruFocus calculated that the stock was undervalued by 18.8%, framing the shares as trading below estimated fair value then; today’s higher USD 272.21 price suggests that investors have since closed much of that gap.

The same GuruFocus article highlights that recent analyst price targets for First Solar have ranged from USD 218 to USD 323, a spread of USD 105 that illustrates how sensitive valuations are to assumptions about future module pricing, US policy support and project pipeline execution.

For more conservative houses such as DZ Bank, the key risk factor is that a share price already near the upper band of recent targets could leave little margin of safety if project delays, pricing pressure or changes in incentive schemes weigh on earnings. By contrast, more optimistic analysts like those at Piper Sandler are betting that First Solar’s position as a US-based panel maker with established manufacturing capacity and strong margins allows it to capture a disproportionate share of demand even if the broader solar cycle becomes more volatile.

Stock price level and upcoming earnings date

From a pure market perspective, First Solar Inc. stock stands at an elevated level relative to its own recent history. With the shares at USD 272.21 as of September 10, 2026 and up 4.55% over the past month and 49.05% over the past year, investors who entered earlier in the cycle are sitting on substantial gains, according to ChartMill.

Looking at the calendar, the next major checkpoint for fundamentals is already scheduled. According to the same overview on ChartMill, First Solar is due to report earnings on February 23, 2026 after the market close, giving investors a clear date when guidance and margin trends will be updated and when the various analyst narratives will be tested against fresh numbers.