July 17, 2025
Top 10 Stock First Solar Strong Buy Recommendation
How to read the ranks
For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Snapshot: First Solar – Top 10 Stock in Solar Technology
First Solar is listed as a top 10 stock on July 17, 2025 in the market index Solar Tech because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. As three out of four consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, it is a solid investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is low, despite a currently slow growth momentum. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 90 (top 90% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for First Solar on July 17, 2025.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Semiconductors |
| Index | Energy Efficient, Human Rights, Low Waste, Recycling, Solar Tech, NASDAQ, S&P MIDCAP |
| Size class | Large |
When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).
For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).
360° View: Obermatt 360° View First Solar Strong Buy
| 360 METRICS | July 17, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 75 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 44 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 88 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 67 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 90 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 90 (better than 90% compared with alternatives) for 2025, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock First Solar are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for First Solar. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 75, which means that the share price of First Solar is on the lower side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is lower than for 75% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The company is also safely financed with a Safety rank of 88. In addition, professional market sentiment is above average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 67. But the consolidated Growth Rank has a low rank of 44, which means that the company is below average in terms of growth and momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. 56 of its competitors have better growth. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 90, First Solar is better positioned than 90% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Three out of four consolidated Obermatt Ranks show above-average performance. The stock has as good value (Value Rank of 75), secure financing practices (Safety Rank of 88), and positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 67). It is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited, and disappointments are less likely to occur. The company’s growth expectations are below the industry average (Growth Rank of 44), but that could also be temporary since professional investors remain optimistic despite the low growth numbers. The low price as reflected in the good Value Rank could indicate that the company's future is challenging. The below-par growth performance may be the reason for this. Companies that grow less are typically cheaper than fast-growing competitors. We recommend evaluating whether the future of First Solar is as difficult as the stock’s low price suggests, despite the positive professional investor sentiment. Since the professional community is optimistic, you might have less to worry about, and the stock may just go through a more challenging phase now, indicating good timing. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for First Solar positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 67 (better than 67% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock First Solar is above average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for First Solar. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 83 (better than 83% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. In addition, Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 50, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better in recommending investing in the company. In other words, they are getting even more optimistic about investments in First Solar. Finally, the Professional Investors rank is 94, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 94% of alternative investment opportunities. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 67 (more positive than 67% compared with investment alternatives), First Solar has a reputation among professional investors that is above-average compared with that of its competitors. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. But there is also a signal for caution. Market Pulse has a rank of 7, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be negative when discussing this company (more negative news than for 93% of competitors). This could mean future risks and should make investors careful. Attention to negative news for First Solar is worthwhile because they may be early warning signals. Without those, all other professional signals are encouraging, especially since analysts are getting more optimistic. ...read more
Value Strategy: First Solar Stock Price Value at the top
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 75 (better than 75% compared with alternatives) for 2025, First Solar shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for First Solar. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 50, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 50% of comparable companies, indicating a good value regarding First Solar's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price to Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 100% of alternatives, and it's also true for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 83. But, compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields are expected to be lower than average; only 1% of all competitors have even lower dividend yields than First Solar (a Dividend Yield Rank of 1). 99% alternative investments in the same business provide a higher dividend yield. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 75, is a buy recommendation based on First Solar's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. The below-average dividend yield may be a good sign, as it could mean the company has more attractive investment opportunities for the generated cash than to pay it out as dividends. A low dividend yield can also indicate a growth phase. ...read more
Growth Strategy: First Solar Growth Momentum low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 44 (better than 44% compared with alternatives), First Solar shows a below-average growth dynamic in its industry. There is limited momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for First Solar. Sales Growth has a rank of 80, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 80% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a rank of 53 is also above average. But Capital Growth has only a rank of 11, and Stock Returns with 45 are also below-average. Stock returns for First Solar have recently been below 55% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 44, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Are investors forecasting troubles based on the lack of operating investment activity at the company? This could be one explanation as to why stock returns are low. But stock returns can also be the result of correcting an error in the past, in this case, an overly optimistic outlook on the future, which is now more realistic. The Value Ranks may confirm such a picture. The more important growth indicators are revenues and profits, which are both above average for First Solar. This is a positive sign from the company's operational side and may give investors courage, despite the poor recent stock price performance. ...read more
Safety Strategy: First Solar Debt Financing Safety very solid
| SAFETY METRICS | July 17, 2025 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 64 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 49 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 90 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 88 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 88 (better than 88% compared with alternatives) for 2025, the company First Solar has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of First Solar is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above average for First Solar. Leverage is at a rank of 64, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 64% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 90, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 90% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 49, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 51% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 88 (better than 88% compared with alternatives), First Solar has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for First Solar. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: First Solar Top Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | July 17, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 75 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 44 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 90 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 95 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 95 (better than 95% compared with investment alternatives), First Solar (Semiconductors, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of First Solar are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 75 (better than 75% of alternatives), are safely financed (Safety Rank of 88, which means low debt burdens), but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 44). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 95, is a strong buy recommendation based on First Solar's financial characteristics. As the company First Solar's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 75) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 44) while being safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 88), it may be a safer investment because companies with low debt can better withstand times of crises. Yet the good value, better than 75% of comparable companies, may also indicate that the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity and the downside is limited due to below-average financing risks. ...read more
Obermatt Portfolio Performance
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