Saturday, July 19, 2014

10 Best Solar Stocks To Invest In 2014

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ  ) jumped as much as 16% today after announcing a major project development.

So what: The company has been hired by Samsung Renewable Energy to design and build a 130 MW utility-scale project called Grand Renewable Solar. The project will generate $301.1 million in revenue for Canadian Solar and will begin construction in the third quarter of this year. �

Now what: Canadian Solar has been slowly turning itself into a project developer, a good move considering the competition in the module business. What's surprising about this project is its cost of just $2.32 per watt, one of the lowest I've ever seen in solar. This project will create a source of demand for the company's products, but at that low cost per watt it won't generate much profit. This is one of the better stocks in Chinese solar but it's still not a stock this Fool is buying today.

Interested in more info on Canadian Solar? Add it to your watchlist by clicking here.

Top Dow Dividend Stocks To Buy For 2015: Peabody Energy Corporation(BTU)

Peabody Energy Corporation engages in the mining of coal. It mines, prepares, and sells thermal coal to electric utilities and metallurgical coal to industrial customers. The company owns interests in 30 coal mining operations located in the United States and Australia, as well as owns joint venture interest in a Venezuela mine. It is also involved in marketing, brokering, and trading coal. In addition, the company develops a mine-mouth coal-fueled generating plant; and Btu Conversion projects that are designed to convert coal to natural gas or transportation fuels; and clean coal technologies. As of December 31, 2011, it had 9 billion tons of proven and probable coal reserves. The company was founded in 1883 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Robert Rapier]

    The fortunes of US coal companies have declined along with US demand for coal. Major coal producers like Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU) and Arch Coal (NYSE: ACI) have seen large declines in their market caps. But what about coal-oriented MLPs? How have they fared, and might an investor find value in that sector?

  • [By Sara Murphy]

    As we see political will to deal with climate change increase -- consider President Obama's remarkable speech on the subject in June -- top U.S. coal producers like Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU  ) and Arch Coal (NYSE: ACI  ) could be in trouble. If mechanisms that would put a price on carbon were to come into force, these companies' value propositions could be severely disrupted.

  • [By Taylor Muckerman and Joel South]

    We have evidence in the form of second-quarter results from Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU  ) , Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (NYSE: FCX  ) and Southern Copper (NYSE: SCCO  ) , all three of which hinted at where they believe the two industries are headed. Going over the conference calls, Motley Fool analyst Taylor Muckerman gathered a few interesting tidbits and discusses them with fellow analyst Joel South in the following video.�

10 Best Solar Stocks To Invest In 2014: EMCORE Corporation(EMKR)

EMCORE Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides compound semiconductor-based products for the broadband, fiber optics, satellite, and solar power markets. The company operates in two segments, Fiber Optics and Photovoltaics. The Fiber Optics segment offers broadband products, including cable television, fiber-to-the-premises, satellite communication, video transport, and defense and homeland security products; and digital products comprising telecom optical, enterprise, laser/photodetector component, parallel optical transceiver and cable, and fiber channel transceiver products. This segment?s products enable information that is encoded on light signals to be transmitted, routed, and received in communication systems and networks. The Photovoltaics segment provides gallium arsenide (GaAs) multi-junction solar cells, covered interconnected cells, and solar panels for satellite applications; and concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) power systems for commercial and utility scale solar applications, as well as GaAs solar cells and integrated CPV components for use in other solar power concentrator systems. The company markets its products through its direct sales force, external sales representatives and distributors, and application engineers worldwide. EMCORE Corporation was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By CRWE]

    EMCORE Corporation (Nasdaq:EMKR), a leading provider of compound semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the fiber optic and solar power markets, reported that it is ramping production and shipping the Opticomm-EMCORE NEXTGEN OTP-1DVI2A1SU insert cards for the Optiva platform.

10 Best Solar Stocks To Invest In 2014: JinkoSolar Holding Company Limited(JKS)

JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of solar power products in China and internationally. The company provides solar modules, silicon wafers and ingots, and solar cells, as well as processing services, including silicon wafer tolling services. It sells its products under the JinkoSolar brand name. The company?s customers include distributors, project developers, and system integrators. It trades its products under short-term contracts and by spot market sales. The company also produces accessory materials for solar power products, such as solar aluminum frame, solar junction box, aluminum materials windows, and other metal component parts. JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. was founded in 2006 and is based in Shangrao, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Eric Volkman]

    JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS  ) suffered a widened quarterly loss, as revealed in the release of its fiscal Q4 and 2012 results. For the quarter, revenue for the China-based solar specialist was the equivalent of $187 million, down from $192 million in the same period the previous year. Net loss widened over that time span, to $122 million, or $1.38 per share, from Q4 2011's red figure of $59 million, $0.65.

  • [By Rick Munarriz]

    Friday
    The market is typically quiet on Friday, but don't tell that to JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS  ) . The vertically integrated solar-power products maker closes out the trading week with its latest quarterly results.

  • [By Travis Hoium]

    What: Solar stocks are shooting higher again today as the strong run in 2013 continues. LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK  ) , Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ  ) , Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE  ) , Hanwha SolarOne (NASDAQ: HSOL  ) , and JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS  ) led the way, gaining between 10% and 22% today.

10 Best Solar Stocks To Invest In 2014: Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited(YGE)

Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, sale, and installation of photovoltaic (PV) products in the People?s Republic of China and internationally. The company offers PV cells, PV modules, and integrated PV systems, as well as polysilicon ingots, blocks, and wafers. It sells its PV modules to distributors, wholesalers, power plant developers and operators, and PV system integrators in Germany, the United States, Italy, China, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Japan under the Yingli and Yingli Solar brand names. The company also offers its integrated PV systems directly to end-users or to contractors for use in the electricity projects, as well as to mobile communications companies in the People's Republic of China. Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Baoding, the People? s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Travis Hoium]

    Chinese solar companies have been reporting massive losses, but one company has improved its financial performance and strategic position significantly over the past year. In the following video, solar analyst Travis Hoium covers why he thinks Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ  ) is a likely candidate to emerge from Chinese solar consolidation, even better than big names such as Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE  ) and Trina Solar (NYSE: TSL  ) . If the company is able to return to profitability, the sky is the limit for Canadian Solar.�

  • [By Travis Hoium]

    Source: Company earnings releases.��

    Solar companies have reported losses for some time now, but LDK Solar has more debt than most companies, and won't be able to survive with such feeble numbers. At the end of 2012, debt stood at $2.8 billion, and we know now that the company ran out of cash just this week. There's no way LDK Solar can survive on just $135.9 million in quarterly revenue and that kind of debt level.� � A problem across solar High debt loads and feeble margins aren't a challenge faced by LDK Solar alone. Suntech Power gave in to these pressures last month, defaulting on its own debt. Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE  ) is now the most indebted Chinese solar company, with $2.5 billion in debt, and I wouldn't doubt if they're not far behind LDK and Suntech. The defaults of Suntech and LDK has to be concerning for all of Chinese solar, especially if banks don't keep the free flow of funds that have powered a rapid expansion in production.� � Balance sheets matter
    What's becoming clearer and clearer every quarter is that balance sheets matter, not just for investors, but also for solar installers. Solar modules come with warranties, sometimes stretching as long as 25 years, and if a customer questions whether a company will be around in only a year or two, they may choose another option. Since Chinese modules vary very little from a performance perspective, the customer may choose a better-capitalized company like JinkoSolar instead of Yingli or LDK, or even move to a U.S. company like First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR  ) or SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR  ) . As financial conditions get worse at these companies more and more customers leave and the problems get worse, creating a downward spiral. LDK and Suntech are the poster children for this and are a major reason investors need to stick with quality in solar. � I've been down on LDK Solar since I began predicting its failure in 2011. Investors interested in g
  • [By Travis Hoium]

    In China, LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK  ) and Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE  ) are trying to grow in systems but with billions of dollars in debt and extremely low margins they can't compete with First Solar. So, even their higher-efficiency modules put them behind the curve.

  • [By Aaron Levitt]

    The last few weeks haven�� been great for Chinese manufacturers of photovalic (PV) panels. Share prices for key solar panel producers like Trina Solar (TSL) and Yingli Green Energy (YGE) have basically imploded since reaching March highs. YGE alone is down about 40% since then.

10 Best Solar Stocks To Invest In 2014: JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd.(JASO)

JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd., through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and sale of photovoltaic solar cells and solar products, which convert sunlight into electricity in the People's Republic of China. The company?s principal products include monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar cells, as well as various solar modules. It also provides silicon wafer and solar cell processing services. The company sells its products primarily under the JA Solar brand name, as well as produces equipment for original equipment manufacturing customers under their brand names. It sells its solar cell and module products primarily to module manufacturers, system integrators, project developers, and distributors in the Germany, Italy, the United States, Hong Kong, Spain, India, the Czech Republic, France, and South Korea. The company has strategic partnerships with various solar power companies, such as BP Solar, Solar-Fabrik, and MEMC/SunEdison. JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. was founded in 2005 and is based in Shanghai, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Paul Ausick]

    Big earnings movers: Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB) is down 3.2% at $43.30. Corinthian Colleges Inc. (NASDAQ: COCO) is down 10.3% at $2.34. JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO) is down 6.9% at $7.40.

10 Best Solar Stocks To Invest In 2014: Canadian Solar Inc.(CSIQ)

Canadian Solar Inc. engages in the design, development, manufacture, and sale of solar power products in Canada and internationally. The company offers solar cell and solar module products that convert sunlight into electricity for various uses. Its products include a range of standard solar modules for use in a range of residential, commercial, and industrial solar power generation systems. The company also designs and produces specialty solar modules and products consisting of customized modules that its customers incorporate into their products, such as solar-powered bus stop lighting; and specialty products, such as portable solar home systems and solar-powered car battery chargers. In addition, it sells solar system kits, a package consisting of solar modules produced by it and third party supplied components, such as inverters, racking system, and other accessories, as well as implements solar power development projects. The company sells its products under the Canad ian Solar brand name. Canadian Solar Inc. offers its standard solar modules through a direct sales force and sales agents primarily to distributors, system integrators, and original equipment manufacturer customers, as well as to solar projects; and specialty solar modules and products to the automotive, telecommunications, and light-emitting diode lighting sectors. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Kitchener, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sid Riggs]

    Companies such as Canadian Solar Inc. (Nasdaq: CSIQ), SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR), Trina Solar Limited (ADR) (NYSE: TSL), JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd (NYSE: JKS), and Yingli Green Energy Hold. Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YGE) have seen their shares explode 1,181%, 755%, 637%, 628%, and 420%, respectively, over the same time frame.

  • [By Wall Street Strategies]

    Naturally the news is a big positive for the industry, with Chinese solar names like Yingli (YGE), Trina (TSL), Canadian Solar (CSIQ) -- which is actually Chinese despite its name -- JinkoSolar (JKS), JA Solar (JASO), and LDK Solar (LDK) each up more than 10% at midday. The Guggenheim Solar ETF (TAN), which tracks several global solar companies, was up 8%, breaking to a new 52-week high.

  • [By Travis Hoium]

    Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ  ) made a big splash this week by announcing a partnership with Samsung Renewable Energy to build manufacturing capacity in Canada. The venture will supply modules to at least 200 MW worth of projects Samsung is building and will probably grow that base in the future. �

10 Best Solar Stocks To Invest In 2014: Ascent Solar Technologies Inc.(ASTI)

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a development stage company, focuses on commercializing flexible photovoltaic (PV) modules using its proprietary technology. The company intends to manufacture roll-format PV modules that use copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS) on a plastic substrate. Its proprietary manufacturing process deposits multiple layers of materials, including a thin-film of CIGS semiconductor material on a plastic substrate and laser patterns the layers to create interconnected PV cells or PV modules through monolithic integration process. The company would serve the building applied photovoltaic (BAPV) and building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) market, as well as specialty markets, such as defense, portable power, transportation, electronic integrated photovoltaic, and space and near-space. It has a strategic relationship with Norsk Hydro Produksjon AS to access customers in the BIPV/BAPV markets worldwide. Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. was founded in 200 5 and is based in Thornton, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    Solar stocks have not exactly given buy and hold investors a smooth ride, but small cap�GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: GTAT) could be an interesting materials play on the solar sector���meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with potential peers like Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc (NASDAQ: ASTI) and STR Holdings, Inc (NYSE: STRI) plus solar ETF Guggenheim Solar ETF (NYSEARCA: TAN). I should mention that just last week, we added GT Advanced Technologies to our�SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio for both�fundamentals and technical reasons and we are already up almost 9%.

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