First Solar (FSLR) Competitors

Canadian Solar (NASDAQ:CSIQ) and First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) are both energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, media sentiment, dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings and risk.

Do analysts recommend CSIQ or FSLR?

Canadian Solar presently has a consensus target price of $14.16, suggesting a potential upside of 9.76%. First Solar has a consensus target price of $228.87, suggesting a potential upside of 33.12%. Given First Solar's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe First Solar is more favorable than Canadian Solar.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Canadian Solar	2 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.22
First Solar	1 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	24 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.87

Which has preferable valuation & earnings, CSIQ or FSLR?

First Solar has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Canadian Solar. Canadian Solar is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Solar, 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
Canadian Solar	$5.99B	0.14	$36.05M	-$0.50	-25.80
First Solar	$4.21B	4.38	$1.29B	$11.76	14.62

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of CSIQ or FSLR?

52.4% of Canadian Solar shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.1% of First Solar shares are owned by institutional investors. 21.5% of Canadian Solar shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of First Solar shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media favor CSIQ or FSLR?

In the previous week, First Solar had 30 more articles in the media than Canadian Solar. MarketBeat recorded 34 mentions for First Solar and 4 mentions for Canadian Solar. Canadian Solar's average media sentiment score of 0.77 beat First Solar's score of 0.74 indicating that Canadian Solar is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Canadian Solar	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
First Solar	16 Very Positive mention(s)	5 Positive mention(s)	7 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more risk & volatility, CSIQ or FSLR?

Canadian Solar has a beta of 1.38, indicating that its stock price is 38% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Solar has a beta of 1.52, indicating that its stock price is 52% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is CSIQ or FSLR more profitable?

First Solar has a net margin of 29.72% compared to Canadian Solar's net margin of -0.18%. First Solar's return on equity of 16.32% beat Canadian Solar's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Canadian Solar	-0.18%	-4.34%	-1.27%
First Solar	29.72%	16.32%	10.84%

Summary

First Solar beats Canadian Solar on 14 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.