Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of solar manufacturer JA Solar (NASDAQ: JASO) fell as much as 11% today after the company reported earnings.
So what: Third-quarter revenue was up 11% sequentially to $287.3 million and gross margin improved 3.2% to 11.3% in the quarter. Net loss was $22.6 million, or $1.11 in the quarter. On an adjusted basis, the loss was $14.7 million, or $0.37 per share, a penny worse than expectations.
Now what: Solar companies have been outperforming expectations all quarter and the industry leaders are now reporting a profit. That's why investors were disappointed in the results, simply because JA Solar is still struggling on the bottom line. I think investors should stick with industry leaders and avoid those taking quarterly losses. In China, the top companies are Canadian Solar and Trina Solar, who are both better bets than JA Solar right now.
