First Solar stock price slides into next week as Tesla ramps solar hiring; earnings due Feb. 24

New York, February 7, 2026, 21:11 (EST) — The market wrapped up for the day.

• First Solar gave up 6.7% to finish Friday at $218.73, after shares seesawed from $214.85 to as high as $239.57.
• Tesla is gearing up for more hiring, with Elon Musk aiming for a 100-gigawatt solar manufacturing target in the U.S.
• First Solar will deliver its Q4 and full-year 2025 results on Feb. 24, with 2026 guidance also slated for release.

First Solar (FSLR) finished Friday at $218.73, down 6.7%. The U.S. solar module maker saw shares swing between $239.57 and $214.85, with some 5.26 million shares changing hands. The drop leaves the stock under pressure heading into Monday.

U.S. markets are closed for the weekend, leaving traders eyeing the next catalysts—rising chatter about domestic solar manufacturing competition and a policy environment that’s become harder to gauge for parts of the sector.

Tesla is ramping up hiring as Elon Musk aims for a massive 100 gigawatts of U.S. solar manufacturing by the end of 2028, according to posts from top executives and a fresh job ad. “This is an audacious, ambitious project,” wrote Seth Winger, who leads engineering for Tesla’s solar products. Still, TD Cowen’s Jeff Osborne called the goals “aspirational rather than likely” for the domestic solar supply chain in the midterm. Reuters

First Solar dropped sharply Friday, bucking strong gains in both the S&P 500, up 1.97%, and the Dow, which added 2.47%, according to MarketWatch data. SolarEdge rallied almost 8% and Sunrun advanced roughly 5%, but First Solar ended the session with trading volume more than twice its 50-day average and remains over 20% down from its 52-week peak.

Policy changes are shaking up the U.S. solar market, with residential installers feeling the heat. The 30% federal homeowner tax credit on purchased rooftop systems is set to expire after 2025, a consequence of President Donald Trump’s tax reforms, and some in the industry are preparing for demand to drop off a cliff. “We’re going to see … a very meager market … struggling to sustain itself,” warned Chris Castro, chief sustainability officer at Climate First Bank. For Zac Hare at Lumina Solar, third‑party ownership is “the quickest route” for customers chasing savings. Reuters

First Solar focuses on utility-scale modules, not rooftop panels, though sector sentiment still hits the stock. Any sign of extra U.S. supply shaking up prices, or tweaks to incentives threatening demand, and investors often move fast to reset valuations for solar stocks.

First Solar investors are eyeing the company’s upcoming catalyst: its quarterly financials and outlook. The firm is set to announce fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 numbers and detail 2026 targets after Tuesday’s close on Feb. 24, with a conference call slated for 4:30 p.m. ET.

First Solar’s product lineup centers on thin‑film solar modules built on cadmium telluride (CdTe) tech, with most sales going to developers, utilities, and big system owners, its Reuters company profile shows.

There’s a risk here: Friday’s slide might not just be a quick correction. If worries about competition intensify, or policy news keeps undermining clean‑energy incentives, traders could start expecting tougher 2026 guidance. That leaves the stock exposed to more volatility heading into the print.

Next up for the market: Does the sharp selloff from Friday bleed into Monday? After that, attention shifts to First Solar’s Feb. 24 earnings and, crucially, what it has to say about 2026 guidance.

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