FSLR First Solar Inc

First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019. Net sales for the third quarter were $547 million, a decrease of $38 million from the prior quarter, primarily due to lower systems revenue from project sales in the United States, partially offset by higher module sales volume.

The Company reported third quarter net income per share of $0.29, compared to a loss per share of $(0.18) in the prior quarter.

Cash, restricted cash and marketable securities at the end of the third quarter decreased to $1.6 billion from $2.1 billion at the end of the prior quarter, primarily as a result of higher expenditures for the development and construction of project assets and continued capital investments in Series 6 manufacturing capacity.

“We’re pleased with the ongoing progress of our Series 6 technology platform,” said Mark Widmar, CEO of First Solar. “Capacity utilization, throughput and yield continue to improve, resulting in record Series 6 production of approximately 1 GW in the quarter.”

2019 guidance has been updated as follows:

2019 Guidance	Prior	Current
Net Sales	$3.5B to $3.7B	Unchanged
Gross Margin % (1)	18.5% to 19.5%	19% to 20%
Operating Expenses (2)	$360M to $380M	$350M to $370M
Operating Income	$290M to $340M	$320M to $370M
Earnings per Share	$2.25 to $2.75	Unchanged
Net Cash Balance (3)	$1.7B to $1.9B	Unchanged
Capital Expenditures	$650M to $750M	Unchanged
Shipments	5.4GW to 5.6GW	Unchanged

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1. Includes $70 to $80 million of ramp costs ($60 to $70 million previously)
2. Includes $40 to $50 million of production start-up expense ($55 to $65 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, October 24, 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 third quarter financial results and 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, October 31, 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 8984796. 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 and counterparties to perform under their contracts with us; the satisfaction of conditions precedent in our project sales agreements; 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 Investorsinvestor@firstsolar.com

First Solar Mediamedia@firstsolar.com

FIRST SOLAR, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESCONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS(In thousands, except share data)(Unaudited)

		September 30,  2019				December 31,  2018
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		$	878,999			$	1,403,562
Marketable securities		661,552				1,143,704
Accounts receivable trade, net		367,306				128,282
Accounts receivable, unbilled and retainage		165,013				458,166
Inventories		576,770				387,912
Balance of systems parts		68,858				56,906
Project assets		5,557				37,930
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		319,435				243,061
Total current assets		3,043,490				3,859,523
Property, plant and equipment, net		2,106,968				1,756,211
PV solar power systems, net		484,593				308,640
Project assets		566,517				460,499
Deferred tax assets, net		66,114				77,682
Restricted cash and investments		305,469				318,390
Goodwill		14,462				14,462
Intangible assets, net		66,785				74,162
Inventories		152,574				130,083
Notes receivable, affiliate		—				22,832
Other assets		247,715				98,878
Total assets		$	7,054,687			$	7,121,362
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable		$	218,088			$	233,287
Income taxes payable		15,409				20,885
Accrued expenses		377,364				441,580
Current portion of long-term debt		28,240				5,570
Deferred revenue		93,283				129,755
Other current liabilities		28,422				14,380
Total current liabilities		760,806				845,457
Accrued solar module collection and recycling liability		134,985				134,442
Long-term debt		452,064				461,221
Other liabilities		524,349				467,839
Total liabilities		1,872,204				1,908,959
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ equity:
Common stock, $0.001 par value per share; 500,000,000 shares authorized;  105,406,367 and 104,885,261 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2019  and December 31, 2018, respectively		105				105
Additional paid-in capital		2,835,868				2,825,211
Accumulated earnings		2,386,028				2,441,553
Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(39,518		)		(54,466		)
Total stockholders’ equity		5,182,483				5,212,403
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity		$	7,054,687			$	7,121,362

FIRST SOLAR, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESCONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS(In thousands, except per share amounts)(Unaudited)

		Three Months Ended																		Nine Months Ended
		September 30,  2019						June 30,  2019						September 30,  2018						September 30,  2019						September 30,  2018
Net sales		$			546,806			$			584,956			$			676,220			$			1,663,740			$			1,552,803
Cost of sales		408,443						507,774						547,093						1,448,083						1,258,936
Gross profit		138,363						77,182						129,127						215,657						293,867
Operating expenses:
Selling, general and administrative		53,542						50,934						33,539						149,828						125,519
Research and development		24,912						24,395						22,390						71,184						63,084
Production start-up		18,605						10,437						14,723						38,564						76,159
Total operating expenses		97,059						85,766						70,652						259,576						264,762
Operating income (loss)		41,304						(8,584				)		58,475						(43,919				)		29,105
Foreign currency gain (loss), net		1,209						1,726						(2,383				)		3,107						(2,478				)
Interest income		11,454						13,510						16,456						39,223						45,145
Interest expense, net		(4,976				)		(8,921				)		(3,198				)		(24,018				)		(14,445				)
Other (loss) income, net		(3,399				)		(4,438				)		(5,971				)		(4,328				)		7,635
Income (loss) before taxes and equity in earnings		45,592						(6,707				)		63,379						(29,935				)		64,962
Income tax expense		(15,035				)		(11,744				)		(2,396				)		(25,385				)		(7,857				)
Equity in earnings, net of tax		65						(97				)		(3,233				)		(205				)		35,105
Net income (loss)		$			30,622			$			(18,548	)		$			57,750			$			(55,525	)		$			92,210
Net income (loss) per share:
Basic		$			0.29			$			(0.18	)		$			0.55			$			(0.53	)		$			0.88
Diluted		$			0.29			$			(0.18	)		$			0.54			$			(0.53	)		$			0.87
Weighted-average number of shares used in per share calculations:
Basic		105,397						105,369						104,804						105,272						104,711
Diluted		106,227						105,369						106,163						105,272						106,211