First Solar Earnings Preview: Analysts Expect Higher EPS, Revenue - First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR)

First Solar FSLR announces its next round of earnings this Thursday, November 3, 2011. Here's Benzinga's advanced look at First Solar's third quarter earnings report.

Earnings and Revenue:

Analysts are predicting an EPS reading of $3.32/share and revenues of $1.01 billion. First Solar's latest numbers will no doubt be compared with the company's year-ago quarter, when it reported a profit of $1.80/share on revenues of $797.9 million. Can the company manage the estimated 84.4% rise in EPS and 26.6% increase in revenues from the year-ago quarter as analysts are predicting? We'll have to wait until Thursday to find out.

Here's how the company's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past:

Quarter	Q2	Q1	Q4	Q3
EPS Estimate	$2.67	$0.93	$1.16	$1.76
EPS Actual	$2.25	$0.70	$1.33	$1.80

Stock Performance:

Shares of First Solar were trading at $53.99 as of October 28, 2011. Since January 1st, shares have declined 58.5%.

Average Stock Rating:

The average rating by analysts is a Hold. This rating has strengthened slightly over the past ninety days.

Competitors:

Wondering how First Solar compares to rivals in the same sector? Here are a few of the company's peers.

Energy Conversion Devices (ENER): Strong Sell with a -$0.63 recent quarter EPS

First Solar is in the solar industry, which has experienced price/earnings growth of 1.4%.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: First Solar designs and manufactures solar electric power modules using a proprietary thin film semiconductor technology. .

Take Action:

There is your peek into First Solar's upcoming earnings numbers, including some competitors to watch around the time of the announcement. Check back in with us after the announcement for a full recap. In the meantime, here are some links to explore today.

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