First Solar Rallies As Credit Suisses Turns Bullish; $150 Target

First Solar (FSLR) shares are on the rise this morning after Credit Suisse analyst Satya Kumar upped his rating on the stock to Neutral from Outperform, with a new price target of $150, up from $110. He contends that upside in pricing for Q2 and Q3 is not yet reflected in the stock.

Kumar offers a four-part thesis for his upgrade of the solar company’s shares:

He sees upside to estimates, and today raised his 2010 demand estimate to 13 GW from 12.7 GW, and says strong demand should reduce price erosion.
Risks to long-term margins are diminishing, he contends. Easy cost reductions for rival silicon-based solar companies - in particular lower poly prices, outsourcing to China and vertical integration - have mostly been accomplished.
Long-term growth prospects remain intact; he says 2011 might not be as bad as feared, particularly in Germany; he thinks U.S. demand could surprise positively.
FSLR’s panel efficiencies should “inflect meaningfully higher” by Q4 of this year or Q1 of next year, he contends.
Kumar raises his 2010 EPS estimate to $7.53, from $6.79; the Street consensus is $6.93. For 2011, he goes to $8.32, from $7.34.

Labels: Bullish, First Solar Inc, FSLR, solar charts, Solar Stocks

posted by Ertai at 10:38 AM