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First Solar, Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results and Updates Guidance

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  • Net sales of $1.1 billion
  • Net income per diluted share of $3.18
  • Net cash balance of $0.6 billion
  • 2.1 GW booked in July 2025
  • Expected sales backlog of 64.0 GW, extending through 2030
  • Maintains mid-point of full year net income per diluted share guidance

TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) (the “Company�) today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2025, and updated its 2025 guidance.

Net sales for the second quarter were $1.1 billion, an increase of $0.3 billion from the prior quarter. The increase in net sales was primarily due to an increase in the volume of modules sold to third parties.

During the quarter, the Company sold $312 million of Section 45X tax credits generated during 2025 for cash proceeds of $296 million and recognized a loss of $16 million on the transaction. The Company also recognized a $13 million reduction to the carrying value of the remaining credits generated through the second quarter based on expected sales of the credits to third parties.

The Company reported second quarter net income per diluted share of $3.18, compared to net income per diluted share of $1.95 in the first quarter of 2025.

Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, restricted cash equivalents, and marketable securities, less debt at the end of the second quarter, increased to $0.6 billion from $0.4 billion at the end of the prior quarter. The increase was primarily driven by proceeds from the sale of Section 45X tax credits.

“In our view, the recent policy and trade developments have, on balance, strengthened First Solar’s relative position in the solar manufacturing industry,� said Mark Widmar, Chief Executive Officer. “In addition, 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, which places First Solar, a utility-scale leader, in a position of strength.�

Our 2025 guidance has been updated as follows:

Prior

Current

Net Sales (1)

$4.5B to $5.5B

$4.9B to $5.7B

Gross Margin (1) (2)

$1.96B to $2.47B

$2.05B to $2.35B

Operating Expenses (3)

$470M to $510M

$480M to $520M

Operating Income (4)

$1.45B to $2.00B

$1.53B to $1.87B

Earnings per Diluted Share (1)

$12.50 to $17.50

$13.50 to $16.50

Net Cash Balance (5)

$0.4B to $0.9B

$1.3B to $2.0B

Capital Expenditures

$1.0B to $1.5B

Unchanged

Volume Sold (1)

15.5GW to 19.3GW

16.7GW to 19.3GW

—ĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔ�

(1)

From a third quarter earnings cadence perspective, we anticipate our module sales to be between 5.0 GW and 6.0 GW. We forecast our advanced manufacturing production tax credit available to us under Section 45X of the Internal Revenue Code (“Section 45X tax credit�), to be between $390 million and $425 million in the third quarter. These factors are expected to result in forecasted third quarter earnings per diluted share between $3.30 and $4.70.

(2)

Assumes $95 million to $180 million of ramp and underutilization costs and $1.575 billion to $1.625 billion of Section 45X tax credits.

(3)

Assumes $65 million to $75 million of production start-up expense.

(4)

Assumes $160 million to $255 million of production start-up expense, ramp and underutilization costs, and $1.575 billion to $1.625 billion of Section 45X tax credits.

(5)

Defined as cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, restricted cash equivalents, and marketable securities, less expected debt at the end of 2025.

The guidance figures presented above are forward-looking statements that 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 second quarter 2025 financial results, 2025 guidance, and financial outlook.

Conference Call Details

First Solar has scheduled a conference call for today, July 31, 2025, 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. A replay of the webcast will also be available on the Investors section of the Company’s website approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call and remain available for 30 days.

About First Solar, Inc.

First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) is America’s leading photovoltaic (“PV�) solar technology and manufacturing company. The only U.S.-headquartered company among the world’s largest solar manufacturers, First Solar is focused on competitively and reliably enabling power generation needs with its advanced, uniquely American thin film PV technology. Developed at research and development (“R&D�) labs in California and Ohio, the Company's technology represents the next generation of solar power generation, providing a competitive, high-performance, and responsibly produced alternative to conventional crystalline silicon PV modules. For more information, please visit .

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: demand for solar technology generally and for our technology specifically, including in the U.S. market, and our positioning to serve such demand; new capacity coming online; our expectations regarding the political and trade environment and its impacts; production and delivery of our modules; our financial guidance for 2025, including future financial results, net sales, gross margin, operating expenses, operating income, earnings per diluted share, net cash balance, capital expenditures, expected earnings cadence, volume sold, bookings, and expected module shipments; products and our business and financial objectives for 2025; the availability of benefits under certain production linked incentive programs, and the impact of the Internal Revenue Code including the Section 45X tax credits; and the impact of the implementation of new tariffs in August 2025. 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,� “contingent,� 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 our forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: structural imbalances in global supply and demand for PV solar modules; our competitive position and other key competitive factors; the market for renewable energy, including solar energy; the modification, reduction, elimination, or expiration of government subsidies, economic incentives, tax incentives, renewable energy targets, and other support for on-grid solar electricity applications; the impact of public policies, such as tariffs, export controls, or other trade remedies imposed on solar cells and modules or related raw materials or equipment; interest rate fluctuations and our customers� ability to secure financing; our ability to execute on our long-term strategic plans, including our ability to secure financing and realize the potential benefits of strategic acquisitions and investments; the loss of any of our large customers, or the ability of our customers and counterparties to perform under their contracts with us; our ability to execute on our solar module technology and cost reduction roadmaps; the performance of our solar modules upon installation; our ability to improve the wattage of our solar modules; our ability to incorporate technology improvements into our manufacturing process, including the implementation of our Copper Replacement (“CuRe�) program; our ability to attract new customers and to develop and maintain existing customer and supplier relationships; general economic and business conditions, including those influenced by U.S., international, and geopolitical events and conflicts; 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 arising from and results of pending litigation; future collection and recycling costs for solar modules covered by our module collection and recycling program or otherwise as required by external laws and regulations; supply chain disruptions; our ability to protect or successfully commercialize our intellectual property; our ability to prevent and/or minimize the impact of cybersecurity incidents or information or security breaches; our continued investment in research and development; the supply and price of key raw materials (including CdTe, tellurium, and tellurium compounds), components, and manufacturing equipment; our ability to construct new production facilities to support new product lines; evolving corporate governance and public disclosure regulations and expectations, including with respect to environmental, social, and governance matters; our ability to avoid manufacturing interruptions, including during the ramp of our Series 7 module manufacturing facilities; our ability to attract, train, retain, and successfully integrate key talent into our team; the severity and duration of public health threats, and the potential impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations; and the matters discussed under the captions “Risk Factors� and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations� of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as supplemented by our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

FIRST SOLAR, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except share data)

(Unaudited)

June 30,
2025

December 31,
2024

ASSETS

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

$

1,124,740

$

1,621,376

Marketable securities

29,098

171,583

Accounts receivable trade, net

1,730,972

1,261,049

Government grants receivable, net

482,546

403,759

Inventories

1,414,006

1,084,384

Other current assets

642,229

546,882

Total current assets

5,423,591

5,089,033

Property, plant and equipment, net

5,722,561

5,413,683

Deferred tax assets, net

204,671

208,808

Restricted marketable securities

213,737

199,136

Government grants receivable

238,850

157,570

Goodwill

30,555

28,335

Intangible assets, net

51,950

54,654

Inventories

269,852

275,372

Other assets

702,277

697,770

Total assets

$

12,858,044

$

12,124,361

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS� EQUITY

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable

$

367,652

$

482,190

Income taxes payable

79,018

77,363

Accrued expenses

593,244

508,581

Current portion of debt

249,894

236,424

Deferred revenue

1,058,262

712,000

Other current liabilities

504,547

60,884

Total current liabilities

2,852,617

2,077,442

Accrued solar module collection and recycling liability

144,599

134,394

Long-term debt

327,972

373,354

Deferred revenue

764,819

1,327,825

Other liabilities

221,907

233,769

Total liabilities

4,311,914

4,146,784

Commitments and contingencies

Stockholders� equity:

Common stock, $0.001 par value per share; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 107,247,360 and 107,060,281 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively

107

107

Additional paid-in capital

2,892,426

2,898,418

Accumulated earnings

5,814,513

5,263,110

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(160,916

)

(184,058

)

Total stockholders� equity

8,546,130

7,977,577

Total liabilities and stockholders� equity

$

12,858,044

$

12,124,361

FIRST SOLAR, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 30,
2025

March 31,
2025

June 30,
2024

June 30,
2025

June 30,
2024

Net sales

$

1,097,170

$

844,568

$

1,010,482

$

1,941,738

$

1,804,590

Cost of sales

597,320

500,165

511,593

1,097,485

959,698

Gross profit

499,850

344,403

498,889

844,253

844,892

Operating expenses:

Selling, general and administrative

52,590

53,164

46,560

105,754

92,387

Research and development

54,487

52,389

51,937

106,876

94,679

Production start-up

31,166

17,606

27,451

48,772

42,859

Litigation loss

430

430

Total operating expenses

138,243

123,159

126,378

261,402

230,355

Gain on sales of businesses, net

1,115

Operating income

361,607

221,244

372,511

582,851

615,652

Foreign currency loss, net

(9,728

)

(11,593

)

(9,649

)

(21,321

)

(12,507

)

Interest income

12,100

18,865

24,599

30,965

51,844

Interest expense, net

(9,184

)

(9,525

)

(9,765

)

(18,709

)

(18,975

)

Other expense, net

(2,628

)

(1,932

)

(565

)

(4,560

)

(3,364

)

Income before taxes

352,167

217,059

377,131

569,226

632,650

Income tax expense

(10,299

)

(7,524

)

(27,775

)

(17,823

)

(46,678

)

Net income

$

341,868

$

209,535

$

349,356

$

551,403

$

585,972

Net income per share:

Basic

$

3.19

$

1.96

$

3.26

$

5.14

$

5.48

Diluted

$

3.18

$

1.95

$

3.25

$

5.13

$

5.45

Weighted-average number of shares used in per share calculations:

Basic

107,245

107,122

107,042

107,184

107,011

Diluted

107,518

107,415

107,525

107,468

107,502

FIRST SOLAR, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

Six Months Ended

June 30,

2025

2024

Cash flows from operating activities:

Net income

$

551,403

$

585,972

Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash (used in) provided by operating activities:

Depreciation, amortization and accretion

250,523

187,921

Share-based compensation

9,394

15,191

Deferred income taxes

5,861

(58,399

)

Gain on sales of businesses, net

(1,115

)

Other, net

7,171

1,650

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Accounts receivable, trade

(417,136

)

29,613

Inventories

(323,781

)

(215,493

)

Government grants receivable

(177,419

)

205,528

Other assets

(106,090

)

(168,363

)

Income tax receivable and payable

(39,698

)

3,774

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

(85,119

)

(113,255

)

Deferred revenue

(186,652

)

(12,499

)

Other liabilities

53,138

212

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

(458,405

)

460,737

Cash flows from investing activities:

Purchases of property, plant and equipment

(494,100

)

(778,618

)

Purchases of marketable securities and restricted marketable securities

(930,807

)

(1,113,826

)

Proceeds from sales and maturities of marketable securities

1,067,702

1,224,167

Other investing activities

7,002

(7,697

)

Net cash used in investing activities

(350,203

)

(675,974

)

Cash flows from financing activities:

Proceeds from borrowings under debt arrangements, net of issuance costs

212,273

110,395

Repayment of debt

(244,022

)

(111,375

)

Proceeds from other borrowings

394,450

Payments of tax withholdings for restricted shares

(15,436

)

(19,148

)

Contingent consideration payment and other financing activities

(266

)

(7,527

)

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

346,999

(27,655

)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash equivalents

3,469

(5,600

)

Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash equivalents

(458,140

)

(248,492

)

Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash equivalents, beginning of the period

1,638,223

1,965,069

Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash equivalents, end of the period

$

1,180,083

$

1,716,577

Supplemental disclosure of noncash investing and financing activities:

Property, plant and equipment acquisitions funded by liabilities

$

242,177

$

402,263

Proceeds to be received from asset-based government grants

$

155,336

$

158,908

Acquisitions funded by contingent consideration

$

3,600

$

11,000

First Solar Investors

[email protected]

First Solar Media

[email protected]

Source: First Solar, Inc.

First Solar

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Solar
Semiconductors & Related Devices
United States
TEMPE