May 28, 2026
Shares of solar panel manufacturer First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) jumped 11.9% in the afternoon session after GLJ Research upgraded the stock to Buy from Hold and significantly raised its price target. 
The research firm set a new price target of $315, a substantial increase from the previous $207.82. The upgrade contributed to a five-day winning streak for the stock, which reached a new 52-week high. The rally also appeared tied to investor optimism regarding potential U.S. trade policies that could benefit domestically produced solar panels. 
This momentum builds on a recent first-quarter earnings report where the company’s earnings per share surpassed analyst expectations. Following those results, other firms, including Argus and Freedom Broker, had also increased their price targets, citing First Solar’s domestic manufacturing advantage.
Is now the time to buy First Solar? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
First Solar’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 31 moves greater than 5% over the last year. But moves this big are rare even for First Solar and indicate this news significantly impacted the market’s perception of the business.
The previous big move we wrote about was 6 days ago when the stock gained 3% on the news that the Dow hit a fresh all-time high above 50,700 as yields cooled off. Industrials are the most direct play on physical economic activity. 
Caterpillar tracks construction, GE Vernova tracks power infrastructure, Boeing tracks aerospace, RTX tracks defense. When Treasury yields cool and the market rallies on Iran peace progress, every one of those end markets gets a confidence injection. Industrials sign multi-quarter contracts and ship over time, so today’s confidence rally translates into next quarter’s backlog growth. 
The AI infrastructure buildout (turbines, switchgear, cooling systems, earthmoving for data centers) adds a second engine: structural growth from AI capex on top of cyclical recovery from Iran de-escalation. That double tailwind pushed the sector to all-time highs alongside the index.
First Solar is up 11% since the beginning of the year, and at $304.50 per share, it has set a new 52-week high. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of First Solar’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $4,001.
ALSO WORTH WATCHING: Nvidia’s Quiet Partner. Nvidia’s chips cost a hundred grand. The connectors that make them work cost even more. One company makes them all.
Every AI server needs specialized infrastructure the chip companies don’t make. High-speed cables. Power connectors. Thermal sensors. This 90-year-old company built a monopoly on it. The AI boom just started. This stock is still flying under the radar. Claim The Stock Ticker Here for FREE.
©2026 StockStory
Data sources: actuals and consensus estimates from StockStory, S&P Global Market Intelligence, and Visible Alpha. Market data from Massive.
Provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific individual. Information on our investment framework and performance methodology is available here.
Copyright 2026, S&P Global Market Intelligence (and its affiliates as applicable). All rights reserved.

source