Back to top

Image: Bigstock

First Solar (FSLR) Dips More Than Broader Market: What You Should Know

Read MoreHide Full Article

First Solar (FSLR - Free Report) ended the recent trading session at $279.01, demonstrating a -11.41% change from the preceding day's closing price. This change lagged the S&P 500's daily loss of 2.65%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a loss of 1.35%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq decreased by 4.18%.

Shares of the largest U.S. solar company witnessed a gain of 46.78% over the previous month, beating the performance of the Oils-Energy sector with its loss of 3.06%, and the S&P 500's gain of 5.47%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of First Solar in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company is expected to report EPS of $3, down 5.66% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $1.06 billion, indicating a 3.31% decrease compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $17.61 per share and a revenue of $5.1 billion, demonstrating changes of +23.93% and -2.31%, respectively, from the preceding year.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for First Solar. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the business outlook.

Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.34% higher. First Solar is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Looking at its valuation, First Solar is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 17.88. This indicates a discount in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 24.9.

One should further note that FSLR currently holds a PEG ratio of 0.7. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. The Solar industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.23 as of yesterday's close.

The Solar industry is part of the Oils-Energy sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 165, putting it in the bottom 33% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.

Zacks' 7 Best Strong Buy Stocks (New Research Report)

Valued at $99, click below to receive our just-released report predicting the 7 stocks that will soar highest in the coming month.

Click Here, It's Really Free

Published in