First Solar (FSLR) Competitors

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) and Monolithic Power Systems (NASDAQ:MPWR) are both large-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, community ranking, dividends, valuation, institutional ownership and earnings.

Which has more risk and volatility, FSLR or MPWR?

First Solar has a beta of 1.47, suggesting that its share price is 47% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Monolithic Power Systems has a beta of 1.03, suggesting that its share price is 3% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has higher valuation & earnings, FSLR or MPWR?

First Solar has higher revenue and earnings than Monolithic Power Systems. First Solar is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Monolithic Power Systems, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Solar	$3.32B	5.36	$830.78M	$11.61	14.32
Monolithic Power Systems	$1.82B	17.58	$427.37M	$8.87	73.99

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of FSLR or MPWR?

92.1% of First Solar shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.5% of Monolithic Power Systems shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.6% of First Solar shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 3.7% of Monolithic Power Systems shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media refer more to FSLR or MPWR?

In the previous week, Monolithic Power Systems had 1 more articles in the media than First Solar. MarketBeat recorded 22 mentions for Monolithic Power Systems and 21 mentions for First Solar. Monolithic Power Systems' average media sentiment score of 0.96 beat First Solar's score of 0.88 indicating that Monolithic Power Systems is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
First Solar	15 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Monolithic Power Systems	13 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer FSLR or MPWR?

First Solar received 409 more outperform votes than Monolithic Power Systems when rated by MarketBeat users. However, 75.51% of users gave Monolithic Power Systems an outperform vote while only 56.31% of users gave First Solar an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
First Solar	Outperform Votes 1146 56.31%	Underperform Votes 889 43.69%
Monolithic Power Systems	Outperform Votes 737 75.51%	Underperform Votes 239 24.49%

Do analysts prefer FSLR or MPWR?

First Solar presently has a consensus target price of $276.29, indicating a potential upside of 66.21%. Monolithic Power Systems has a consensus target price of $820.33, indicating a potential upside of 25.00%. Given First Solar's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe First Solar is more favorable than Monolithic Power Systems.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Solar	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	23 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Monolithic Power Systems	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.83

Is FSLR or MPWR more profitable?

First Solar has a net margin of 32.41% compared to Monolithic Power Systems' net margin of 21.29%. Monolithic Power Systems' return on equity of 20.44% beat First Solar's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Solar	32.41%	17.56%	11.46%
Monolithic Power Systems	21.29%	20.44%	16.93%

Summary

First Solar beats Monolithic Power Systems on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.