Goldman thinks this solar stock has more to run after an 80% rally in 2 months
With tailwinds from tariffs and data center demand on the horizon, First Solar still has substantial room to run, even after rallying about 80% over the past two months, according to Goldman Sachs. Goldman raised its stock price target for First Solar by nearly $31 to $302 per share, implying 11% upside from Friday’s close of $271.76. First Solar is up 44% over the past month, outperforming the Invesco Solar ETF and the S & P 500, which have respectively gained 12.9% and 2.3% during the same period. “We remain bullish on the outlook for FSLR and believe several tailwinds could support higher [average selling prices] or potential capacity expansion,” analysts led by Brian Lee told clients in a Monday note. First Solar is poised to benefit as foreign competitors face higher tariffs. The U.S. in May ended a tariff for bifacial solar panels, which play a key role in the utility-scale market, for manufacturers in China and other countries. Goldman said this could allow First Solar to raise prices due to fewer cheap imports. Separately, the Biden administration also announced in May that the U.S. would increase tariffs on imported solar modules from China to 50% from 25%. First Solar is also party to a trade case that could result in four Southeast Asian nations imposing tariffs on solar module manufacturers. FSLR TAN 3M line FSLR vs. Tan First Solar is also poised to benefit from rising electricity demand as tech companies seek renewable energy to power data centers and artificial intelligence. Goldman has estimated that power demand from data centers will more than double, reaching 8% of total U.S. consumption by 2030. Amazon recently announced plans in April to invest $11 billion in a data center in Indiana, which will include generative AI technologies. Microsoft and Brookfield Asset Management signed an agreement in May to add 10.5 gigawatts of renewable capacity between 2026 and 2030. “While FSLR is not explicitly mentioned as a supplier for these announcements, we believe the company is uniquely positioned to benefit from this trend as the largest domestic panel manufacturer,” Lee and his team told their clients. First Solar hasn’t announced any firm plans to build its manufacturing capacity on rising demand, but the company indicated on its first-quarter earnings call that it was warming to the idea. Goldman sees First Solar’s earnings per share increasing by about 20% in 2027 if the company adds a new plant. This post has been syndicated from a third-party source. View the original article here.
