Back to top

Image: Bigstock

First Solar (FSLR) Stock Declines While Market Improves: Some Information for Investors

Read MoreHide Full Article

First Solar (FSLR - Free Report) ended the recent trading session at $267.31, demonstrating a -1.42% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock fell short of the S&P 500, which registered a gain of 0.5% for the day. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.7%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 0.31%.

Coming into today, shares of the largest U.S. solar company had gained 17.08% in the past month. In that same time, the Oils-Energy sector lost 2.9%, while the S&P 500 lost 0.23%.

Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of First Solar in its upcoming earnings disclosure. On that day, First Solar is projected to report earnings of $3 per share, which would represent a year-over-year decline of 5.66%. 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.

Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $17.61 per share and revenue of $5.1 billion. These totals would mark changes of +23.93% and -2.31%, respectively, from last year.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for First Solar should also be noted by investors. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the business performance and profit potential.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-term stock moves. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional 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. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection remained stagnant. First Solar presently features a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Digging into valuation, First Solar currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 15.4. This expresses a discount compared to the average Forward P/E of 20.07 of its industry.

It is also worth noting that FSLR currently has a PEG ratio of 0.6. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. As the market closed yesterday, the Solar industry was having an average PEG ratio of 0.98.

The Solar industry is part of the Oils-Energy sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 180, positioning it in the bottom 27% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our 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.

Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming 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