Citigroup says it's time to buy First Solar stock
The shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) are up 3% at $82.57 ahead of the open, after the company became the latest solar energy stock to get some analyst praise. Specifically, First Solar stock notched a bull note from Citigroup in the form of an upgrade to "buy" from "neutral," with a price-target hike to $100 from $88 as well. The firm cited "multiple positive catalysts" as the reason for the upgrade, with one being U.S. President Joe Biden's push to enact more green energy measures like a possible 10-year extension of the federal solar tax credit.
On the charts, things were looking up for FSLR to kick off the year, with the equity notching a nine-year high of $112.50 on Jan. 25. However, by March 5 it crashed to $68.07, its lowest level since October 2020. Should today's positive price action hold, it will boost the security back above the 40-day moving average, though its 19% year-to-date deficit means there's still work to do.
Circling back around to the analyst front, the majority were skeptical coming into today which leaves plenty of room for additional upgrades going forward. In fact, nine of the 13 in coverage rated the equity a "hold" or worse, though the remaining four do recommend a "strong buy." Meanwhile, the 12-month consensus price target of $83.95 is a slim 1.1% premium to Friday's close.
Lastly, the equity’s Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 46%, which sits in the relatively low 13th percentile of its annual range. This implies option traders are pricing in low volatility expectations right now. What's more, FSLR’s Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) stands at an extremely high 90 out of 100, meaning the security has exceeded volatility expectations during the past 12 months -- a great thing for options buyers.