First Solar: 4Q Earnings Snapshot

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) _ First Solar Inc. (FSLR) on Thursday reported a fourth-quarter loss of $59.4 million, after reporting a profit in the same period a year earlier.

The Tempe, Arizona-based company said it had a loss of 56 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were $2.02 per share.

The results did not meet Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $2.79 per share.

The largest U.S. solar company posted revenue of $1.4 billion in the period, which also missed Street forecasts. Five analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.76 billion.

For the year, the company reported a loss of $114.9 million, or $1.09 per share, swinging to a loss in the period. Revenue was reported as $3.06 billion.

First Solar shares have risen 6% since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index has increased slightly more than 4%. In the final minutes of trading on Thursday, shares hit $59.32, an increase of 15% in the last 12 months.

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This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on FSLR at https://www.zacks.com/ap/FSLR