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Aerial view of solar power station and solar energy panels
Aerial view of solar power station and solar energy panels

First Solar shines after Q2 beat and brighter full-year outlook

The solar panel developer boosted guidance, even as the clock runs out for clean energy tax credits.

Nia Warfield

First Solar shares surged nearly 7%, helping lead the S&P 500, after the solar panel maker beat Q2 estimates on Thursday and turned up its full-year outlook.

Adjusted earnings clocked in at $3.18 per share, blowing past Wall Street’s $2.66 forecast and the company’s own range of $2.00 to $3.00. Revenue also beat expectations, rising to $1.09 billion versus the $1.04 billion analysts were looking for.

First Solar raised its full-year sales forecast to $4.5 billion to $5.5 billion, up from $4.9 billion to $5.0 billion. The company also hiked its expected volume sold to 16.7 gigawatts to 19.3 gigawatts, up from 15.5 GW to 19.3 GW.

Zooming out, solar and renewables have been under pressure as the Trump administration walks back some clean energy investments and sets a year-end deadline for claiming federal solar panel tax credits before they go away for good.

First Solar thinks it can outshine the noise:

“We believe that on a fundamental basis, with its cost-competitive energy and faster time-to-power profile, the case for utility-scale solar generation is compelling regardless of the policy environment,” CEO Mark Widmar said in a statement. “That places First Solar, a utility-scale leader, in a position of strength.”

After the earnings pop, First Solar shares are now flat on the year.

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Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

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