First Solar, Inc. (FSLR)
First Solar is a major American manufacturer that builds advanced thin-film solar panels designed to power large-scale utility projects.
Is First Solar, Inc. a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: First Solar is a major American manufacturer that builds advanced thin-film solar panels designed to power large-scale utility projects.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only; any dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
Global shift toward renewable energy accelerates significantly.
New energy technologies making current solar panels obsolete.
What does First Solar, Inc. do?
Unlike many competitors who use standard silicon, First Solar creates specialised thin-film panels that are particularly efficient for massive solar farms. Its income comes from selling these high-tech panels directly to energy companies and developers building the grid of the future. Much depends on how they handle their manufacturing capacity and whether they can keep their costs low while demand for renewable energy grows.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on quality and value, and weakest on income.
- !Pays no dividend - the whole return rides on the share price
- !Revenue slipped about 4% over the year
- ✓Very profitable - turns about 32% of sales into profit
- ✓Low debt - a sturdier balance sheet
- ✓Strong return on shareholder money (ROE 19%)
- Value screens high (71/100)
- Quality screens high (75/100)
- Strong profit margins compared to many industrial peers
- Specialised technology that differentiates them from standard silicon panel makers
- Significant growth in earnings over the past year
- Momentum screens low (29/100)
- Income screens low (16/100)
- Changes in government subsidies or trade policies could hurt profitability
- Rapidly evolving technology could make current products less competitive
- Supply chain disruptions affecting the raw materials needed for production
What do First Solar, Inc.'s numbers mean?
How much money does First Solar, Inc. make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does First Solar, Inc. pay a dividend?
No - First Solar, Inc. doesn't currently pay a dividend, so the whole return would rest on the share price. Plenty of growing companies reinvest their profits instead of paying them out - neither approach is better or worse, they're just different.
When does First Solar, Inc. report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
First Solar, Inc. is next scheduled to report on about 2026-10-29 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-30 | $2.82 | $3.92 | Beat +39% |
| 2026-04-30 | $2.96 | $3.22 | Beat +9% |
| 2026-02-24 | $5.24 | $4.84 | Missed -8% |
| 2025-10-30 | $4.29 | $4.24 | Missed -1% |
| 2025-07-31 | $2.68 | $3.18 | Beat +19% |
| 2025-04-29 | $2.47 | $1.95 | Missed -21% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, First Solar, Inc. came in ahead of what analysts expected 3 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
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Hewlett Packard EnterpriseWhat are the scenarios for First Solar, Inc.?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of First Solar, Inc.?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Strong profit margins compared to many industrial peers
- Specialised technology that differentiates them from standard silicon panel makers
- Significant growth in earnings over the past year
- Does not pay a dividend, so investors rely entirely on share price growth
- High beta suggests the share price can be quite volatile
- Heavy reliance on large-scale utility projects rather than consumer sales
- Changes in government subsidies or trade policies could hurt profitability
- Rapidly evolving technology could make current products less competitive
- Supply chain disruptions affecting the raw materials needed for production
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A sustained drop in global demand for large-scale solar energy
- A major technological shift that renders thin-film panels inefficient
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.