First Solar (FSLR) Competitors

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

Is CSIQ or FSLR more profitable?

First Solar has a net margin of 28.95% compared to Canadian Solar's net margin of -0.18%. First Solar's return on equity of 15.57% 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	28.95%	15.57%	10.36%

Do analysts rate CSIQ or FSLR?

Canadian Solar currently has a consensus price target of $14.39, indicating a potential upside of 13.43%. First Solar has a consensus price target of $222.44, indicating a potential upside of 1.42%. Given Canadian Solar's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Canadian Solar is more favorable than First Solar.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Canadian Solar	1 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.38
First Solar	1 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	22 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86

Do institutionals and insiders believe in CSIQ or FSLR?

52.4% of Canadian Solar shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.1% of First Solar shares are held by institutional investors. 21.5% of Canadian Solar shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of First Solar shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has stronger earnings and valuation, 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	-25.38
First Solar	$4.21B	5.59	$1.29B	$11.69	18.76

Does the media favor CSIQ or FSLR?

In the previous week, First Solar had 36 more articles in the media than Canadian Solar. MarketBeat recorded 43 mentions for First Solar and 7 mentions for Canadian Solar. First Solar's average media sentiment score of 1.00 beat Canadian Solar's score of 0.52 indicating that First Solar is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Canadian Solar	1 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
First Solar	24 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	12 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more volatility & risk, CSIQ or FSLR?

Canadian Solar has a beta of 1.35, indicating that its stock price is 35% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Solar has a beta of 1.48, indicating that its stock price is 48% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

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