Top 5 Cheapest Stocks To Own Right Now

Top 5 Cheapest Stocks To Own Right Now: First Solar Inc.(FSLR)

First Solar, Inc. manufactures and sells solar modules using a thin-film semiconductor technology. It also designs, constructs, and sells photovoltaic solar power systems. The company?s solar modules employ a thin layer of semiconductor material to convert sunlight into electricity. Its integrated solar power systems activities include the project development; engineering, procurement, and construction services; operating and maintenance services; and project finance. The company sells solar modules to project developers, system integrators, and operators of renewable energy projects; and solar power systems to investor owned utilities, independent power developers and producers, and commercial and industrial companies, as well as other system owners. It operates in the United States, Germany, France, Canada, and internationally. The company was formerly known as First Solar Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to First Solar, Inc. in 2006. First Solar was founded in 1999 a nd is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  In the month of March, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission announced that all electricity generation that was added to the system during the month came from solar energy. While this month may have been anaberration, the first quarter of 2013 saw 83% of all generation capacity that was added come from either solar or wind power. In this video, Fool.com contributor Tyler Crowe shows how some recent advancements in technology and manufacturing from industry leaders like First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR  ) have made this possible.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  The Energy Strategist Portfolio Update

  First Solar Goes Supernova
  
  Home runs don’t come easily in this business, in part because of the natural temptation to lock in quick gains. This strategy for coping with good fortune, known in scholarly work as dispositio! n bias, can be quite costly, because it rids portfolios of the best-performing, highest-momentum stocks soon after their merits have become more apparent. It’s a great way to turn home runs into doubles.
  
  Don’t make that mistake with First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR) following the stock’s 18 percent rally Friday in the aftermath of an uncommonly strong earnings report. With today’s 4 percent follow-through, shares are up 67 percent since we recommended purchase on Aug. 28.
  
  The headline numbers included a 50 percent year-over-year revenue jump accompanied by a near-doubling of net earnings to $1.94 per share, while the pro-forma $2.28 per share more than doubled Wall Street’s consensus. First Solar has consistent ly warned that its results will be lumpy, and this time the lumps proved sweet thanks to the disposal of some projects as well as the first infusion of recognized revenue from a big solar project under construction in California’s Riverside county.
  
  One might further quibble that an annual review lowering the estimated costs of First Solar’s program for recycling obsolete panels from its projects boosted operating earnings by $49 million, or 24 percent.
  
  But the numbers really worth paying attention to are those that prompted us to add the stock to the Growth Portfolio in the first place. These start with First Solar’s rapid marginal improvement in the conversion efficiency ratio of the cadmium-telluride film coating its panels, which gives the share of the available energy they are able to convert into usable power. The ratio reached 13.3 percent by the last quarter’s end, up from 13 percent three months earlier a
• [By Dan Caplinger]

  First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR  ) , short position: 30.4% of float and 21% of outstanding shares
  The solar industry has been hit hard by overcapacity, but First Solar shocked bears earlier this month with guidance on sales and earnings that was far above what indu! stry anal! ysts were expecting. Moreover, its purchase of TetraSun will help First Solar boost the efficiency of its solar modules, an area in which the company has long lagged some of its competitors. Short-sellers are feeling the squeeze as a result of much higher share prices recently, although the stock still trades well below its levels from early 2011. It'll be interesting to see whether they'll give in and cover their positions in light of the news.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Finally, earnings continue to have big impacts not only on individual stocks but on entire industries. First Solar's (NASDAQ: FSLR  ) report last night has sent the shares for a loop: They're dropping 9% after the company missed earnings estimates. Yet the company didn't pull back from its more optimistic assessment of its future as it continues efforts to bolster its already impressive backlog of solar projects. The stock drop brings two potential opportunities. If you think First Solar's long-term prospects will stay in line with its management's projections, then today's drop is a bargain opportunity. Meanwhile, if you think the reason for First Solar's drop is tied only to the company specifically, then rival SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR  ) , which is the efficiency leader in the U.S. solar market and which has fallen almost 4% in concert with First Solar today, could be the better buy.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-5-cheapest-stocks-to-own-right-now-2.html