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First Solar Will Struggle as Solar Industry Changes

By Travis Hoium – Aug 29, 2013 at 1:07PM

Low efficiency modules are putting First Solar in a tough position.

First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR) was once a clear leader in the solar industry but the company has seen margins and profits fall recently as more efficient competitors caught up. Utility scale project that drive the company's revenue just aren't coming along as frequently as they used to as seen by backlog falling from 2.6 GW to 2.2 GW between the first of the year and early August. But that's not all to be concerned about as solar analyst Travis Hoium covers in the video below.

Fool contributor Travis Hoium manages an account that owns shares of SunPower and also personally owns shares and has the following options: long January 2015 $5 calls on SunPower, long January 2015 $7 calls on SunPower, long January 2015 $15 calls on SunPower, long January 2015 $25 calls on SunPower, and long January 2015 $40 calls on SunPower. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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