First Solar Shines Bigger, Brighter

FSLR is the largest thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solar module manufacturer on the planet and the largest PV solar module manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere. The company sells to project developers, system integrators, and renewable energy project operators, though has also designed and deployed commercial solar projects for utilities. It’s growing too – FSLR recently announced a new manufacturing facility in Alabama.

For the current quarter, FSLR is expected to post per-share earnings of $3.31, which would be an increase of 32.4% from a year ago. The consensus earnings estimate of $13.62 for the current fiscal year indicates a year-over-year jump of 76%. Sales are expected to rise too, with a consensus estimate of $1.1 billion for the current quarter (a 40.5% rise).

It’s no wonder FSLR shares are up 45% this year – and they could rise more. MAPsignals data shows how Big Money investors are betting heavily on the forward picture of the stock.

Big Money Loves First Solar

Institutional volumes reveal plenty. Recently, FSLR has enjoyed strong investor demand, which we believe to be institutional support.

Each green bar signals unusually large volumes in FSLR shares. They reflect our proprietary inflow signal, pushing the stock higher:

Plenty of industrials names are under accumulation right now. But there’s a powerful fundamental story happening with First Solar.

First Solar Fundamental Analysis

Institutional support and a healthy fundamental backdrop make this company worth investigating. As you can see, FSLR has had strong sales growth:

• 1-year sales growth rate (+26.7%)
• 3-year sales growth rate (+8%)

Source: FactSet

Also, EPS is estimated to ramp higher this year by +55.5%.

Now it makes sense why the stock has been powering to new heights. FSLR has a track record of strong financial performance.

Marrying great fundamentals with our proprietary software has found some big winning stocks over the long term.

First Solar has been a top-rated stock at MAPsignals. That means the stock has unusual buy pressure and growing fundamentals. We have a ranking process that showcases stocks like this on a weekly basis.

It’s made the rare Top 20 report multiple times in the last three years. The blue bars below show when FSLR was a top pick…rising up over time:

Tracking unusual volumes reveals the power of money flows.

This is a trait that most outlier stocks exhibit…the best of the best. Big Money demand drives stocks upward.

First Solar Price Prediction

The FSLR rally isn’t new at all. Big Money buying in the shares is signaling to take notice. Given the historical gains in share price and strong fundamentals, this stock could be worth a spot in a diversified portfolio.

Disclosure: the author holds no position in FSLR at the time of publication.

If you are a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) or are a serious investor, take your investing to the next level, learn more about the MAPsignals process here.