As previously reported, BofA Merrill Lynch analyst Julien Dumoulin-Smith upgraded First Solar (FSLR) to Buy from Neutral, stating that the latest IRS tax guidance allowing for up to 4-year ITC extension on solar projects with commence construction qualification was " the most bullish interpretation IRS could have released." The IRS guidance is likely worth at least $50B to his prior cumulative capex expectations for the sector through 2023, Dumoulin-Smith tells investors. While he has less confidence on a module price recovery, the analyst sees prospects for more U.S. bound projects, he added. He maintains a $63 price target on First Solar shares. Other publicly traded companies in the space include Canadian Solar (CSIQ), JA Solar (JASO), SunEdison (SUNEQ), SunPower (SPWR), Trina Solar (TSL) and Yingli Green Energy (YGE).

After Reuters reported that a request to remove the bifacial panel exemption in the Section 201 tariff is expected to be granted by the Biden Administration, RBC Capital said that, if granted, the removal of the bifacial panel exemption would be a positive development for First Solar and solar OEMs with domestic manufacturing. The firm, which believes the removal of the exemption would be supportive of demand for domestic manufactured products and supportive of pricing, has an Outperform rating and $195 price target on First Solar shares.