Fact based stock research
First Solar (NasdaqGS:FSLR)

US3364331070

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

First Solar stock research in summary

firstsolar.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 95 (better than 95% compared with investment alternatives), First Solar (Semiconductors, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of First Solar are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 59 (better than 59% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 87), and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 87), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 95, is a strong buy recommendation based on First Solar's financial characteristics. As the company First Solar's key financial metrics all exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 59), above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 87), and indicate that the company is safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 87), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the share is limited, unless the company has a bleak future. Such good financial performance can indicate that the company's future might actually be challenging, as it may be difficult to maintain the good performance. If they are safely financed and have been growing above average, and are still a good value, it means that the market is keeping prices low, for a reason which may become clearer over time. We recommend evaluating the future of First Solar. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	59
Growth Rank	87
Safety Rank	87
Combined Rank	95

Country	USA
Industry	Semiconductors
Index	Energy Efficient, Human Rights, Low Waste, Recycling, Solar Tech, NASDAQ, S&P MIDCAP
Size class	X-Large

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

19-Dec-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.

Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: First Solar

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	64	51	61	59
GROWTH
GROWTH	16	7	81	87
SAFETY
SAFETY	95	88	43	87
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	1	67	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	11	77	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 19-Dec-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better First Solar is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	64	51	61	59
GROWTH
GROWTH	16	7	81	87
SAFETY
SAFETY	95	88	43	87
COMBINED
COMBINED	68	46	74	95

Last update of combined financial performance: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of First Solar the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 59 (better than 59% compared with alternatives), First Solar shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for First Solar. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 97 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 97% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning First Solar's profit levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 58, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 58% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than for 60% of alternatives (only 40% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than for 99% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive compared with the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 59, is a buy recommendation based on First Solar's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a puzzling picture, because it means that profits are high while dividends are low. Since the stock price is low compared with invested capital but high concerning expected revenues, the company has more invested capital than peers for generating the same amount of revenue. Since profits are higher, it could be a "cash cow" situation (using the classic Boston Consulting Group or BCG matrix naming convention) where the company is on a downward trend, still living from the profits of past products. As the company pays low dividends, it may harbor the opinion that a turnaround is possible, and it rather invests the cash than distribute it to shareholders through dividends, thus sealing the company's fate early. Any investment optimism should only be a buy trigger once thorough research is completed. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is especially important in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	55	61	45	40
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	79	25	90	97
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	90	85	66	58
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	1	1	1	1
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	64	51	61	59

Last update of Value Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of First Solar; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 87 (better than 87% compared with alternatives) for 2024, First Solar shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator above average for First Solar. Sales Growth has a rank of 92 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 92% of its competitors. Both Profit Growth, with a rank of 88, and Stock Returns, with a rank of 73, are also above average. But Capital Growth only has a rank of 12, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital less than 88% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 87, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That may be a good sign if the company is already well positioned and doesn't require more investments at this time. They may focus on growing the top (revenues) and bottom (profits) lines, recently rewarded with above-average stock returns for shareholders. But it may also be a sign of danger as the company is falling back with capital investment activities concerning competition. This requires further analysis of corporate communications. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	2	1	84	92
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	8	19	100	88
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	48	49	12
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	61	29	43	73
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	16	7	81	87

Last update of Growth Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of First Solar.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 87 (better than 87% compared with alternatives) for 2024, the company First Solar has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of First Solar is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above average for First Solar. Leverage is at a rank of 64, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 64% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 95, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 95% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 31, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 69% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 87 (better than 87% compared with alternatives), First Solar has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for First Solar. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge with First Solar and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	90	74	76	64
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	55	77	47	31
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	84	67	9	95
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	95	88	43	87

Last update of Safety Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of First Solar and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	15	84	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	30	64	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	50	83	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	4	8	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	1	67	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for First Solar.
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