First Solar, Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2019 Financial Results


  • Net sales of $585 million
  • Net loss per share of $(0.18)
  • Cash, restricted cash and marketable securities of $2.1 billion, net cash of $1.7 billion
  • YTD net bookings of 4.3GWDC; 2.0 GWDC since prior earnings call
  • Maintain 2019 net sales, EPS and cash guidance

TEMPE, Ariz., Aug. 01, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2019. Net sales for the second quarter were $585 million, an increase of $53 million from the prior quarter, primarily due to increased module and system sales in the U.S. and Australia.

The Company reported a second quarter loss per share of $(0.18), compared to a loss per share of $(0.64) in the first quarter of 2019.

Cash, restricted cash and marketable securities at the end of the second quarter decreased to $2.1 billion from $2.3 billion at the end of the prior quarter, primarily as a result of continued capital investments in Series 6 manufacturing capacity.

“We continued to make significant progress in our Series 6 transition during Q2, with improvements across all manufacturing metrics,” said Mark Widmar, CEO of First Solar. “We had record module production and shipments during the second quarter, and with our recent bookings success we are now essentially sold out through 2020, with significant bookings visibility into 2021.”

2019 guidance has been updated as follows:

      
  2019 GuidancePriorCurrent 
  Net Sales$3.5B to $3.7BUnchanged 
  Gross Margin % (1)18% to 19%18.5% to 19.5% 
  Operating Expenses (2)$370M to $390M$360M to $380M 
  Operating Income$260M to $310M$290M to $340M 
  Earnings per Share$2.25 to $2.75Unchanged 
  Net Cash Balance (3)$1.7B to $1.9BUnchanged 
  Capital Expenditures$650M to $750MUnchanged 
  Shipments5.4GW to 5.6GWUnchanged 
      
(1) Includes $60 to $70 million of ramp costs ($45 to $55 million previously) 
(2) Includes $55 to $65 million of production start-up expense ($70 to $80 million previously) 
(3) Defined as cash, restricted cash and marketable securities less expected debt at the end of 2019 
      

First Solar has scheduled a conference call for today, August 1, 2019 at 4:30 p.m. ET to discuss this announcement. A live webcast of this conference call and accompanying materials are available at investor.firstsolar.com.

The guidance figures presented above are subject to a variety of assumptions and estimates. Investors are encouraged to listen to the conference call and to review the accompanying materials which contain more information about First Solar’s 2019 guidance.

An audio replay of the conference call will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call. The audio replay will remain available through Thursday, August 8, 2019 and can be accessed by dialing +1 (800) 585-8367 if you are calling from within the United States or +1 (416) 621-4642 if you are calling from outside the United States and entering the replay pass code 2308858. A replay of the webcast will also be available on the Investors section of the Company’s website approximately five hours after the conclusion of the call and remain available for approximately 90 days.

About First Solar, Inc.

First Solar is a leading global provider of comprehensive photovoltaic (“PV”) solar systems which use its advanced module and system technology. The Company's integrated power plant solutions deliver an economically attractive alternative to fossil-fuel electricity generation today. From raw material sourcing through end-of-life module recycling, First Solar’s renewable energy systems protect and enhance the environment. For more information about First Solar, please visit www.firstsolar.com.

For First Solar Investors

This release contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning: our financial guidance for 2019; the transition to Series 6 module manufacturing in 2019; net sales, gross margin, operating expenses, operating income, earnings per share, net cash balance, capital expenditures, shipments, bookings, products and our business and financial objectives for 2019. These forward-looking statements are often characterized by the use of words such as “estimate,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “plan,” “intend,” “seek,” “believe,” “forecast,” “foresee,” “likely,” “may,” “should,” “goal,” “target,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “predict,” “continue” and the negative or plural of these words and other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and our projections about future events and therefore speak only as of the date of this release. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: structural imbalances in global supply and demand for PV solar modules; the market for renewable energy, including solar energy; our competitive position and other key competitive factors; reduction, elimination, or expiration of government subsidies, policies, and support programs for solar energy projects; the impact of public policies, such as tariffs or other trade remedies imposed on solar cells and modules; our ability to execute on our long-term strategic plans; our ability to execute on our solar module technology and cost reduction roadmaps; our ability to improve the wattage of our solar modules; interest rate fluctuations and both our and our customers’ ability to secure financing; the creditworthiness of our offtake counterparties and the ability of our offtake counterparties to fulfill their contractual obligations to us; the ability of our customers to perform under their contracts with us; our ability to attract new customers and to develop and maintain existing customer and supplier relationships; our ability to successfully develop and complete our systems business projects; our ability to convert existing production facilities to support new product lines, such as Series 6 module manufacturing; general economic and business conditions, including those influenced by U.S., international, and geopolitical events; environmental responsibility, including with respect to cadmium telluride (“CdTe”) and other semiconductor materials; claims under our limited warranty obligations; changes in, or the failure to comply with, government regulations and environmental, health, and safety requirements; effects resulting from pending litigation, including the class action lawsuit against us; future collection and recycling costs for solar modules covered by our module collection and recycling program; our ability to protect our intellectual property; our ability to prevent and/or minimize the impact of cyber-attacks or other breaches of our information systems; our continued investment in research and development; the supply and price of components and raw materials, including CdTe; our ability to attract and retain key executive officers and associates; and the matters discussed under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations” of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and our subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as supplemented by our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contacts

First Solar Investors
investor@firstsolar.com

First Solar Media
media@firstsolar.com

 
FIRST SOLAR, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except share data)
(Unaudited)
 
  June 30, December 31,
  2019 2018
ASSETS    
Current assets:    
Cash and cash equivalents $1,221,568  $1,403,562 
Marketable securities 807,561  1,143,704 
Accounts receivable trade, net 269,527  128,282 
Accounts receivable, unbilled and retainage 127,972  458,166 
Inventories 586,621  387,912 
Balance of systems parts 91,728  56,906 
Project assets 1,703  37,930 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 305,566  243,061 
Total current assets 3,412,246  3,859,523 
Property, plant and equipment, net 2,006,334  1,756,211 
PV solar power systems, net 304,657  308,640 
Project assets 528,246  460,499 
Deferred tax assets, net 76,892  77,682 
Restricted cash and investments 328,591  318,390 
Goodwill 14,462  14,462 
Intangible assets, net 69,119  74,162 
Inventories 149,157  130,083 
Notes receivable, affiliate   22,832 
Other assets 248,103  98,878 
Total assets $7,137,807  $7,121,362 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY    
Current liabilities:    
Accounts payable $242,541  $233,287 
Income taxes payable 15,293  20,885 
Accrued expenses 421,595  441,580 
Current portion of long-term debt 28,312  5,570 
Deferred revenue 112,237  129,755 
Other current liabilities 23,341  14,380 
Total current liabilities 843,319  845,457 
Accrued solar module collection and recycling liability 136,275  134,442 
Long-term debt 452,976  461,221 
Other liabilities 570,113  467,839 
Total liabilities 2,002,683  1,908,959 
Commitments and contingencies    
Stockholders’ equity:    
Common stock, $0.001 par value per share; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 105,390,383 and 104,885,261 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively 105  105 
Additional paid-in capital 2,826,533  2,825,211 
Accumulated earnings 2,355,406  2,441,553 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (46,920) (54,466)
Total stockholders’ equity 5,135,124  5,212,403 
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $7,137,807  $7,121,362 
 


FIRST SOLAR, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
 
 Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
 June 30, March 31, June 30, June 30, June 30,
 2019 2019 2018 2019 2018
Net sales$584,956  $531,978  $309,318  $1,116,934  $876,583 
Cost of sales507,774  531,866  317,376  1,039,640  711,843 
Gross profit (loss)77,182  112  (8,058) 77,294  164,740 
Operating expenses:         
Selling, general and administrative50,934  45,352  50,854  96,286  91,980 
Research and development24,395  21,877  20,370  46,272  40,694 
Production start-up10,437  9,522  24,352  19,959  61,436 
Total operating expenses85,766  76,751  95,576  162,517  194,110 
Operating loss(8,584) (76,639) (103,634) (85,223) (29,370)
Foreign currency gain (loss), net1,726  172  2,422  1,898  (95)
Interest income13,510  14,259  16,865  27,769  28,689 
Interest expense, net(8,921) (10,121) (6,065) (19,042) (11,247)
Other (loss) income, net(4,438) 3,509  (4,328) (929) 13,606 
(Loss) income before taxes and equity in earnings(6,707) (68,820) (94,740) (75,527) 1,583 
Income tax (expense) benefit(11,744) 1,394  6,164  (10,350) (5,461)
Equity in earnings, net of tax(97) (173) 40,085  (270) 38,338 
Net (loss) income$(18,548) $(67,599) $(48,491) $(86,147) $34,460 
          
Net (loss) income per share:         
Basic$(0.18) $(0.64) $(0.46) $(0.82) $0.33 
Diluted$(0.18) $(0.64) $(0.46) $(0.82) $0.32 
Weighted-average number of shares used in per share calculations:         
Basic105,369  105,046  104,776  105,208  104,664 
Diluted105,369  105,046  104,776  105,208  106,234