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3 Reasons to Buy First Solar

First Solar is still the most profitable company in solar, but why? This video describes how First Solar is staying ahead and why the company is more profitable than rivals SunPower and Canadian Solar.

By Travis Hoium – Nov 21, 2013 at 2:00PM EST

When First Solar (FSLR 1.53%) reported third-quarter earnings per share of $1.94 it shocked investors. The increased profits were driven by an $0.08 reduction in cost per watt, 860 MW of project signings, and a plan to make panels that are as much as 17% efficient. 

First Solar is leveraging its utility scale solar prowess to generate a 28.8% gross margin, which far exceeds SunPower (SPWR +0.00%) and Canadian Solar (CSIQ +0.67%), two solar manufacturers who have built significant power plant businesses of their own. 

Erin Miller sat down with solar analyst Travis Hoium to see why investors should be interested in First Solar now. 

Read Next

About the Author

Travis Hoium
Travis Hoium is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering solar energy, technology, and growth stocks. Before The Motley Fool, Travis was a mechanical engineer at 3M and founded a virtual reality company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Minnesota.
TMFFlushDraw
X@travishoium

Fool contributor Travis Hoium manages an account that owns shares of SunPower and 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. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. 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.

Stocks Mentioned

First Solar Stock Quote
First Solar
NASDAQ: FSLR
$200.35
(-1.53%)-$3.12
Canadian Solar Stock Quote
Canadian Solar
NASDAQ: CSIQ
$12.72
(+0.67%)+$0.09

*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.

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