First Solar sell-off has gone too far Morgan Stanley says in upgrade
First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) gained over 3% in early trading Friday after Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock following the 20% correction over the past three months.
Analysts at Morgan Stanley lifted their rating to Overweight from Equalweight and raised their price target to $237 from $214, offering 64% upside from Thursday's closing price.
«After the 20% sell-off in the past three months, we see an attractive risk-reward profile for the stock,» the analysts commented. «We believe First Solar offers one of the strongest risk-adjusted earnings profiles within our US Clean Tech coverage with its sold-out position through 2026, which when combined with its cost hedging, should result in 1,020 bps of relatively low-risk margin expansion through 2026.»
According to the firm's analysis of solar panel costs, they anticipate that First Solar's pricing will stay quite robust in the short to medium run.
They highlight that shares are trading at just 7.2 times their projected 2025 EPS (excluding IRA benefits), marking a 66% decrease from its typical pre-IRA P/E ratio of 21.6 times FY3 EPS.
The firm's bull case is $323 per share, suggesting 124% upside, while their bear case is $87.
Shares of First Solar are down 3.8% year-to-date.
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