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Enough top-performing CAPS members have turned bullish on MEMC Electronic Materials (NYSE: WFR ) recently to upgrade it from the four-star rating it had held for much of the past year to a tip-top five stars. A total of 1,898 members have given their opinion on the silicon wafer manufacturer, with many of them offering analysis and commentary explaining the recent optimism.
MEMC manufactures wafers for the electronics and solar industries, and like Applied Materials, took advantage of a big opportunity to enter the solar market a few years back. In past months, however, solar-cell manufacturers such as Suntech Power (NYSE: STP ) and Trina Solar (NYSE: TSL ) have been cutting orders for polysilicon wafers. As a result, MEMC posted weaker revenue -- year over year and compared with the previous quarter -- for its most recent quarter. But the company has also experienced signs of increasing demand. Despite some weak earnings reports from wafer makers such as ReneSola (NYSE: SOL ) and LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK ) and solar players such as JA Solar (Nasdaq: JASO ) and Solarfun Power (Nasdaq: SOLF ) , solar stocks have been on the rise lately.
Some CAPS members think solar has bottomed out and believe MEMC will emerge strong from the cyclical downturn. Even if more pain is ahead, many take comfort in the more than $1 billion in cash and short-term investments and very low debt that MEMC holds, which keep it on solid footing. Indeed, the long-term potential of solar is enticing -- according to research company Gartner, 114 million solar panels are estimated to ship in 2013, compared with 32 million in 2009.
To see what the very best CAPS analysts are saying now about MEMC Electronic Materials -- as well as other winning stocks they are picking -- head on over to CAPS and have a look. The community research and resources in CAPS are totally free, unlike analyst opinions reserved for paying clients.
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