Back to top

Image: Bigstock

First Solar (FSLR) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know

Read MoreHide Full Article

In the latest trading session, First Solar (FSLR - Free Report) closed at $97.29, marking a -1.04% move from the previous day. This change lagged the S&P 500's 1.39% gain on the day. At the same time, the Dow added 1.57%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 1.56%.

Investors will be hoping for strength from FSLR as it approaches its next earnings release. On that day, FSLR is projected to report earnings of $1.26 per share, which would represent a year-over-year decline of 37.62%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $713.18 million, down 49.04% from the prior-year quarter.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for FSLR should also be noted by investors. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.36% higher within the past month. FSLR currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

In terms of valuation, FSLR is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 27.95. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 62.92, so we one might conclude that FSLR is trading at a discount comparatively.

The Solar industry is part of the Oils-Energy sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 77, putting it in the top 31% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


First Solar, Inc. (FSLR) - free report >>

Published in