Innovation will be the competitive advantage for Tesla Solar. Tesla launched a solar roof tile last month that’s more efficient and is easier to install.
First Solar stock has an EV-to-EBITDA valuation of 6.4x its estimated earnings for the next 12 months. The industry’s mean valuation is greater than 11x.
Almost all solar stocks fell sharply on September 26. First Solar (FSLR) fell about 7% yesterday while this year’s top gainer, Enphase Energy, fell 7.5%.
Almost all the solar stocks have had a fantastic run so far this year, and First Solar (FSLR) is no exception. FSLR stock is up more than 45% year-to-date.
First Solar (FSLR) stock fell more than 10% from its 52-week high early this month. In a strong solar environment, FSLR stock has gained more than 45% YTD.
Solar stocks started last week significantly lower due to increased trade war concerns. The solar energy space is one of the hottest sectors this year.
First Solar (FSLR) stock offers a potential upside of 9% for the next 12 months. The stock has a mean target price of $70.3—compared to its current market price of $61.8.
The Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie expect solar installations to increase 25% in 2019 compared to 2018. Previously, the group expected 14% growth in 2019.
Let’s look at the current valuations for the top solar stocks in this part of our series. First Solar (FSLR) stock is currently trading at a forward EV-to-EBITDA valuation of 7x.
2019 could be a lot better and a step in a different direction for the solar energy sector as a whole. Solar stocks have already performed well so far.
Air Products and Chemicals’ (APD) Industrial Gases–Asia segment accounted for 27.6% of APD’s total revenues in fiscal Q3 2018, expanding by 2.2 percentage points YoY from 25.4%.
Yingli Solar will announce its 3Q17 earnings results on December 6 before market hours. Since its 2Q17 earnings, its stock price has fallen nearly 13.1%.
Canadian Solar (CSIQ) reported its 3Q17 earnings results on November 9. CSIQ declared earnings per share of $0.22, slightly below the analyst consensus estimate of $0.26.
SunPower (SPWR) reports its revenue under the power plant, residential, and commercial segments. The latter two segments are together called the distributed generation segments.
SunPower (SPWR) announced its 3Q17 earnings before market hours on November 2. In this series, we’ll examine SunPower’s 3Q17 results in detail and compare the results with analysts’ estimates.
Relative valuation PE (price-to-earnings) and EV-to-EBITDA multiples are commonly used to determine relative valuation. The forward PE multiple considers a company’s equity based on earnings forecasts for the next 12 months. On September 29, 2017, First Solar’s forward PE multiple was reported to be 21.9x. This PE multiple was higher than JA Solar’s (JASO) 9.1x and Canadian Solar’s […]
Debt profile As of December 31, 2016, First Solar (FSLR) had total debt of $188.4 million, lower than its debt of $289 million at the end of 2015. The company’s debt is denominated in various currencies, including the US dollar, Malaysian ringgit, and euros. Credit metrics With a net worth of over $5 billion and $555.8 […]
Pre-tax loss First Solar’s (FSLR) pretax loss in 2016 was $471.7 million, compared with a profit of $519.8 million in 2015. The loss could be attributed to the huge $729 million restructuring pre-tax charges faced by the company in the fourth quarter of 2016. Net loss in 2016 First Solar reported a net loss of $358.0 […]
Cost of sales First Solar’s (FSLR) Components segment saw its cost of sales rise 6% to $1.1 billion in fiscal 2016, from $1.0 billion in fiscal 2015. On the other hand, despite higher volumes, the Systems segment’s cost of sales fell 29% to $1.1 billion in fiscal 2016 from $1.6 billion in fiscal 2015. Overall, the company’s cost […]
Revenue trend First Solar’s (FSLR) revenue is primarily from turn-key projects, project maintenance, project sales, PV (photovoltaic) module sales to third parties, and PPAs (power purchase agreements) for sale of electricity. In this part, we’ll examine First Solar’s financial performance. As we discussed previously, First Solar has two main business segments: Components and Systems. The design, […]
High customer concentration In 2016, First Solar (FSLR) sold solar modules to customers in the United States, India, and the United Arab Emirates. Approximately 23% of its total revenue was from third-party module sales. The majority of First Solar’s customer base is in the United States, which makes up to more than 80% of total […]
India’s rising electricity demand According to the EIA’s (U.S. Energy Information Administration) 2017 International Energy Outlook, India’s electricity generation is expected to increase by 3.2% per year through 2040, to meet increasing electricity demand in rural areas. Solar outlook Even though coal is the primary fuel used for electricity generation in India, the focus on renewable […]
The Americas The US PV (photovoltaic) market made up ~83% ($2.9 billion) of First Solar’s (FSLR) revenue. The United States has typically been First Solar’s largest market, and where many of its prominent projects and customers are located. First Solar has completed the construction of Del Sur, a 26 MW (megawatt) solar project in Honduras. It commenced […]
The California Flats project On August 22, 2017, First Solar (FSLR) sold its 280-megawatt (or MW) California Flats project to Switzerland-based asset management company Capital Dynamics for an undisclosed amount. The PV power station is spread across 2,900 acres of ranch land in Monterey County in southeast California. The project is still under construction. What […]
Operating segments Previously, we looked at First Solar’s (FSLR) history. The photovoltaic module manufacturer operates two business segments: Components and Systems. The Components segment First Solar is a manufacturer of solar (TAN) photovoltaic (or PV) modules. First Solar also designs and sells these modules. They manufacture thin-film PVs, in which the semiconductor material used is […]
SunPower expects to incur about $225 million–$275 million in restructuring charges as part of closing its Philippine-based Fab 2 manufacturing facility.
In 3Q16, Trina Solar (TSL) reported a gross profit of $125.6 million compared to $176.3 million in 2Q16. On a YoY basis, the company’s gross profit fell nearly 9.0%.
Trina Solar (TSL) had a total module shipment guidance of 1.55–1.65 GW (gigawatts) for 3Q16. However, it reported 1.36 GW of total solar (TAN) module shipments.
Of the 21 analysts covering SunPower Corporation (SPWR) stock, seven analysts gave the company a “buy” rating. Thirteen analysts rated it a “hold,” and one analyst rated the stock as a “sell” on October 18, 2016.
SunPower (SPWR) is expected to announce its 3Q16 earnings results on October 26, 2016, after market hours. In this series, we’ll look at analysts’ expectations for SunPower’s 3Q16 earnings.
In this article, we’ll go through the rationale behind GE’s planned acquisition of LM Wind Power. According to the GWEC, worldwide wind capacity is expected to nearly double in the next five years.
In October 2013, JA Solar (JASO) launched its high-efficiency monocrystalline Percium modules. These products have a record high conversion efficiency of up to 21%.
JA Solar (JASO) is primarily involved in the design, development, manufacturing, and sales of solar power products based on crystalline silicon technologies.
