First Solar (FSLR) Rises As Market Takes a Dip: Key Facts

In the latest trading session, First Solar (FSLR) closed at $200.23, marking a +1.23% move from the previous day. This change outpaced the S&P 500's 0.08% loss on the day. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a drop of 0.61%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 0.08%.

Shares of the largest U.S. solar company have depreciated by 12.57% over the course of the past month, underperforming the Oils-Energy sector's gain of 5.48%, and the S&P 500's loss of 2.16%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of First Solar in its upcoming earnings disclosure. On that day, First Solar is projected to report earnings of $2.9 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 48.72%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $1.05 billion, up 23.93% from the prior-year quarter.

FSLR's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $18.57 per share and revenue of $5.1 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +30.68% and -2.33%, respectively.

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. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the business and profitability.

Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending 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.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed a 20.05% decrease. First Solar currently has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).

Looking at its valuation, First Solar is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 10.65. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 17.96, which means First Solar is trading at a discount to the group.

Investors should also note that FSLR has a PEG ratio of 0.32 right now. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The Solar industry had an average PEG ratio of 0.56 as trading concluded yesterday.

The Solar industry is part of the Oils-Energy sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 161, finds itself in the bottom 35% echelons 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.

Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions.

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First Solar, Inc. (FSLR): Free Stock Analysis Report

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