IS FIRST SOLAR A GOOD BET GOING FORWARD?

Troubled Times Ahead For First Solar?

Ayush Singh, March 3, 2014 (Seeking Alpha)

"After putting in a terrific performance in 2013, First Solar (FSLR) is having a torrid time this year. The company's shares slid around 9% when it announced financial results for the fourth quarter…as a result of a decline in revenue from utility-scale power plants…[T]he company's outlook also fell below expectations…But, since First Solar is a strong player in [the growing solar] arena, is it a good long-term buy?...First Solar reached a new milestone of 20.4% CdTe cell efficiency, breaking the record of 19.6% set by GE Global Research in 2013…[and CdTe photovoltaic performance is outpacing] the trajectory of conventional silicon technologies…First Solar's average cost per watt declined to $0.63 from $0.70 in 2012. Average efficiency rose to 13.2% in 2013 from 12.6% in 2012…[and globally, pipeline] bookings rose to 2.7GW DC in 2013…First Solar is a profitable company, but…I will recommend investors to stay clear of this stock till the company finds a solution for its low efficiency modules…[I]nvestors looking to benefit from solar's growth should consider other stocks such as SunEdison (SUNE) or SolarCity (SCTY)…” click here for more

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