First Solar Misses Q4 Earnings Expectations, Shares Drop
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 27 2026
0mins
Should l Buy FSLR?
Source: Fool
First Solar Inc's stock is down 16.74% in pre-market trading, hitting a 20-day low, following disappointing earnings results.
The company reported Q4 GAAP earnings of $520.9 million, or $4.84 per share, which fell short of analysts' expectations of $5.24, leading to a significant drop in stock price. Additionally, First Solar lowered its revenue guidance for 2026 to between $4.9 billion and $5.2 billion, well below the consensus estimate of $6.16 billion, citing challenges such as permitting delays that are impacting customer demand.
This earnings miss has raised concerns among investors about First Solar's future performance, reflecting a reassessment of the company's profitability and potential growth in the renewable energy market.
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Analyst Views on FSLR
Wall Street analysts forecast FSLR stock price to rise
23 Analyst Rating
18 Buy
4 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 197.800
Low
150.00
Averages
280.35
High
335.00
Current: 197.800
Low
150.00
Averages
280.35
High
335.00
About FSLR
First Solar, Inc. is a photovoltaic (PV) solar technology and manufacturing company. It is focused on enabling power generation needs with its advanced, thin film PV technology. The Company's primary segment is its modules business, which involves the design, manufacture, and sale of CdTe solar modules, which convert sunlight into electricity. Third-party customers of the segment include system developers, independent power producers, utilities, commercial and industrial companies, and other system owners and operators. The Company's products include the Series 7 Module and Series 6 Plus module. Its Series 6 Plus module is a glass laminate approximately 4ft x 6ft in size that encapsulates thin film PV semiconductor materials. Its Series 7 module has a larger form factor of approximately 4ft x 7ft in size. The Series 6 Plus and Series 7 modules had an average power output of 459 watts and 531 watts, respectively.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Accelerated Approval Process: Under the new rules, Chinese investments in Indian companies will be expedited with a processing time of 60 days, provided that the firms remain Indian-owned, which is expected to attract foreign capital and improve the ease of doing business.
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- Significant Order Decline: By the end of 2025, First Solar's contracted orders plummeted from 78.3 GW at the end of 2023 to just 50.1 GW, highlighting severe order depletion, with net bookings for 2025 reported at negative 0.9 GW, reflecting weak demand and insufficient market confidence.
- Tax Credit Dependency: The company benefits from $0.17 per watt in 45X tax credits, which constitutes 55% of its selling price; without these credits phasing out starting in 2030, gross margins could collapse from around 40% to 7-10%, severely impacting profitability.
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- Guidance Downgrade: Jefferies reduced its price target from $260 to $205, citing concerns over the company's forward-looking guidance, which projected 2026 revenue between $4.9 billion and $5.2 billion, 17% below analysts' estimates.
- Market Competition Analysis: While First Solar leads the U.S. photovoltaic market specializing in cadmium telluride thin-film modules, analysts suggest that certain AI stocks present greater upside potential and lower downside risk, potentially influencing investor decisions.
See More
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- Implementation Challenges: The decentralized nature of electric grid regulations across states poses significant hurdles for the Trump administration in converting the pledge into actionable policy, with experts indicating that new federal legislation is necessary to address power supply shortages.
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- ETF Trading Mechanism: Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) trade similarly to stocks, where investors buy and sell 'units' that can be created or destroyed based on demand, impacting liquidity and market performance.
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