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: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: Strong profit margins compared to many industrial peers. Worth weighing: Does not pay a dividend, so investors rely entirely on share price growth.
Is this normal for this company?
Each figure against the range this same company has produced recently. Neither end of a range is the good end.
Share price divided by the earnings actually reported over the four most recent quarters. The range is the same calculation at each of this company's last few results, so roughly the past year.
Profit as a share of sales, from the company's own quarterly statements. The range covers the 5 quarters we hold, and the figure shown is its most recent one.
How these ranges are built
Every number here is the company's own reported figure, not a comparison with other companies. The ranges come from this company's own results and its share price. Where it reports in a different currency from the one its shares trade in, the price-to-earnings range is left out rather than mixing the two.
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%)
- Quality screens high
- Income screens low
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.
Does First Solar, Inc. have more cash or more debt?
It holds about $1.73B in cash against about $194.01M of debt - so it has net cash of about $1.53B. More cash than debt is a cushion: it does not need to borrow just to cover what it owes.
From the latest reported balance sheet. Cash and debt levels change, and some borrowing is normal - this is context, not a judgment.
What do First Solar, Inc.'s numbers mean?
How has it performed?
Growth of £1,000, the worst fall, and year by year
Over about 2 years to 2026-09-11. 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.
How much has First Solar, Inc. actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, First Solar, Inc. fell as much as −53% from a high to a later low. Falls like this are normal when you own a share.
Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
How has it done year by year?
Calendar-year total return - the share price with dividends reinvested - from adjusted closing prices. The current year is only part-complete. Past returns are not a guide to the future.
A closer look at the numbers
Ownership, earnings history, where the money goes, and the outlook range
Does the share price tell you if it's cheap or expensive?
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
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.
How much money does First Solar, Inc. make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Where does each £100 of First Solar, Inc.'s sales go?
A rough split of the latest full-year figures: of every £100 of sales, about £56 covers making the product or service, £12 goes on running costs, tax and interest, and about £32 is left as profit. Margins vary a lot by industry, and one-off items can distort a single year.
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.
‘Beat’ and ‘missed’ are against what analysts expected, not whether the business is doing well.
| 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 →
Where these figures come from
Each quarter a company reports its results against a consensus of analyst forecasts. The figures here are reported versus expected earnings per share from published results; the expectation is that analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates and can move.
What are the scenarios for First Solar, Inc.?
An illustrative range for the year ahead — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros, cons and common questions?
The case each way, and the questions people ask
Global shift toward renewable energy accelerates significantly.
New energy technologies making current solar panels obsolete.
What are the pros and cons of First Solar, Inc.?
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
Common questions about First Solar, Inc.
Does First Solar, Inc. pay a dividend?
No - First Solar, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend, so the return would rest on the share price. Many growing companies reinvest profits instead of paying them out.
When does First Solar, Inc. report earnings next?
First Solar, Inc. is next scheduled to report results on about 2026-10-29. Report dates are estimates and can move; this is a diary note for when to look, not a forecast of the outcome.
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This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 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.