Head-To-Head Survey: Ascent Solar Technologies (NASDAQ:ASTI) vs. First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Ascent Solar Technologies (NASDAQ:ASTI) and First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) are both energy companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, profitability, institutional ownership, valuation and risk.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Ascent Solar Technologies and First Solar, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ascent Solar Technologies	1	0	0	0	1.00
First Solar	1	13	20	0	2.56

First Solar has a consensus target price of $248.17, suggesting a potential upside of 24.23%. Given First Solar’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe First Solar is more favorable than Ascent Solar Technologies.

Profitability

This table compares Ascent Solar Technologies and First Solar’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ascent Solar Technologies	N/A	-239.69%	-111.53%
First Solar	29.28%	17.32%	11.81%

Insider & Institutional Ownership

10.6% of Ascent Solar Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.1% of First Solar shares are held by institutional investors. 10.2% of Ascent Solar Technologies shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of First Solar shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk & Volatility

Ascent Solar Technologies has a beta of 1.26, meaning that its stock price is 26% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Solar has a beta of 1.65, meaning that its stock price is 65% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Ascent Solar Technologies and First Solar”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ascent Solar Technologies	$40,000.00	1,022.77	-$9.13 million	($2.92)	-1.82
First Solar	$5.22 billion	4.11	$1.53 billion	$14.21	14.06

First Solar has higher revenue and earnings than Ascent Solar Technologies. Ascent Solar Technologies is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Solar, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

First Solar beats Ascent Solar Technologies on 12 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ascent Solar Technologies

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a solar technology company, engages in the manufacture and sale of photovoltaic solar modules in the United States. The company markets and sells its products through OEMs, system integrators, distributors, retailers, and value-added resellers. It serves agrivoltaics, aerospace, satellites, near earth orbiting vehicles, and fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles. Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Thornton, Colorado.

About First Solar

First Solar, Inc., a solar technology company, provides photovoltaic (PV) solar energy solutions in the United States, France, Japan, Chile, and internationally. The company manufactures and sells PV solar modules with a thin film semiconductor technology that provides a lower-carbon alternative to conventional crystalline silicon PV solar modules. It designs, manufactures, and sells cadmium telluride solar modules that converts sunlight into electricity. The company's residual business operations include project development activities, operations and maintenance services, and the sale of PV solar power systems to third-party customers. It serves developers and operators of systems, utilities, independent power producers, commercial and industrial companies, and other system owners. The company was formerly known as First Solar Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to First Solar, Inc. in 2006. First Solar, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.