First Solar (FSLR) ended the recent trading session at $223.82, demonstrating a +1.47% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock exceeded the S&P 500, which registered a gain of 0.38% for the day. At the same time, the Dow added 0.29%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.62%.
Coming into today, shares of the largest U.S. solar company had lost 16.56% in the past month. In that same time, the Oils-Energy sector lost 1.03%, while the S&P 500 gained 1.61%.
The upcoming earnings release of First Solar will be of great interest to investors. The company is forecasted to report an EPS of $2.74, showcasing a 13.84% downward movement from the corresponding quarter of the prior year. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $1.06 billion, down 3.31% from the year-ago period.
For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $17.61 per share and revenue of $5.1 billion, which would represent changes of +23.93% and -2.21%, respectively, from the prior year.
Any recent changes to analyst estimates for First Solar should also be noted by investors. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. Consequently, upward revisions in estimates express analysts' positivity towards the business operations and its ability to generate profits.
Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-term stock moves. 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.
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 moved 0.05% lower. As of now, First Solar holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Valuation is also important, so investors should note that First Solar has a Forward P/E ratio of 12.53 right now. This represents a discount compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 21.44.
We can additionally observe that FSLR currently boasts a PEG ratio of 0.49. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Solar industry held an average PEG ratio of 0.93.
The Solar industry is part of the Oils-Energy sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 59, putting it in the top 24% 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.
Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.
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First Solar, Inc. (FSLR): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).