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FSLR (First Solar) ROIC % : 16.87% (As of Jun. 2024)


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What is First Solar ROIC %?

ROIC % measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. It is also called ROC %. First Solar's annualized return on invested capital (ROIC %) for the quarter that ended in Jun. 2024 was 16.87%.

As of today (2024-10-29), First Solar's WACC % is 13.63%. First Solar's ROIC % is 15.82% (calculated using TTM income statement data). First Solar generates higher returns on investment than it costs the company to raise the capital needed for that investment. It is earning excess returns. A firm that expects to continue generating positive excess returns on new investments in the future will see its value increase as growth increases.


First Solar ROIC % Historical Data

The historical data trend for First Solar's ROIC % can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

* Premium members only.

First Solar ROIC % Chart

First Solar Annual Data
Trend Dec14 Dec15 Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23
ROIC %
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 4.58 9.46 7.20 28.57 13.20

First Solar Quarterly Data
Sep19 Dec19 Mar20 Jun20 Sep20 Dec20 Mar21 Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24
ROIC % Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 12.27 14.92 19.91 11.57 16.87

Competitive Comparison of First Solar's ROIC %

For the Solar subindustry, First Solar's ROIC %, along with its competitors' market caps and ROIC % data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


First Solar's ROIC % Distribution in the Semiconductors Industry

For the Semiconductors industry and Technology sector, First Solar's ROIC % distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where First Solar's ROIC % falls into.



First Solar ROIC % Calculation

First Solar's annualized Return on Invested Capital (ROIC %) for the fiscal year that ended in Dec. 2023 is calculated as:

ROIC % (A: Dec. 2023 )
=NOPAT/Average Invested Capital
=Operating Income * ( 1 - Tax Rate % )/( (Invested Capital (A: Dec. 2022 ) + Invested Capital (A: Dec. 2023 ))/ count )
=885.973 * ( 1 - 6.79% )/( (4967.598 + 7542.662)/ 2 )
=825.8154333/6255.13
=13.20 %

where

Invested Capital(A: Dec. 2022 )
=Total Assets - Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense - Excess Cash
=Total Assets - Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense - ( Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities - max(0, Total Current Liabilities - Total Current Assets+Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities))
=8251.228 - 705.649 - ( 2577.981 - max(0, 1038.048 - 3791.421+2577.981))
=4967.598

Invested Capital(A: Dec. 2023 )
=Total Assets - Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense - Excess Cash
=Total Assets - Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense - ( Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities - max(0, Total Current Liabilities - Total Current Assets+Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities))
=10365.132 - 719.981 - ( 2102.489 - max(0, 1306.158 - 4634.809+2102.489))
=7542.662

First Solar's annualized Return on Invested Capital (ROIC %) for the quarter that ended in Jun. 2024 is calculated as:

ROIC % (Q: Jun. 2024 )
=NOPAT/Average Invested Capital
=Operating Income * ( 1 - Tax Rate % )/( (Invested Capital (Q: Mar. 2024 ) + Invested Capital (Q: Jun. 2024 ))/ count )
=1491.764 * ( 1 - 7.36% )/( (7949.263 + 8431.235)/ 2 )
=1381.9701696/8190.249
=16.87 %

where

Invested Capital(Q: Mar. 2024 )
=Total Assets - Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense - Excess Cash
=Total Assets - Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense - ( Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities - max(0, Total Current Liabilities - Total Current Assets+Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities))
=10760.582 - 821.222 - ( 1990.097 - max(0, 1758.717 - 4241.393+1990.097))
=7949.263

Invested Capital(Q: Jun. 2024 )
=Total Assets - Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense - Excess Cash
=Total Assets - Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense - ( Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities - max(0, Total Current Liabilities - Total Current Assets+Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities))
=11014.255 - 842.677 - ( 1740.343 - max(0, 1772.629 - 3948.923+1740.343))
=8431.235

Note: The Operating Income data used here is four times the quarterly (Jun. 2024) data.

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.


First Solar  (NAS:FSLR) ROIC % Explanation

ROIC % measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. It is also called ROC %. The reason book values of debt and equity are used is because the book values are the capital the company received when issuing the debt or receiving the equity investments.

There are four key components to this definition. The first is the use of operating income or EBIT rather than net income in the numerator. The second is the tax adjustment to this operating income or EBIT, computed as a hypothetical tax based on an effective or marginal tax rate. The third is the use of book values for invested capital, rather than market values. The final is the timing difference; the capital invested is from the end of the prior year whereas the operating income or EBIT is the current year's number.

Why is ROIC % important?

Because it costs money to raise capital. A firm that generates higher returns on investment than it costs the company to raise the capital needed for that investment is earning excess returns. A firm that expects to continue generating positive excess returns on new investments in the future will see its value increase as growth increases, whereas a firm that earns returns that do not match up to its cost of capital will destroy value as it grows.

As of today, First Solar's WACC % is 13.63%. First Solar's ROIC % is 15.82% (calculated using TTM income statement data). First Solar generates higher returns on investment than it costs the company to raise the capital needed for that investment. It is earning excess returns. A firm that expects to continue generating positive excess returns on new investments in the future will see its value increase as growth increases. First Solar earns returns that do not match up to its cost of capital. It will destroy value as it grows.


Be Aware

Like ROE % and ROA %, ROIC % is calculated with only 12 months of data. Fluctuations in the company's earnings or business cycles can affect the ratio drastically. It is important to look at the ratio from a long term perspective.


First Solar ROIC % Related Terms

Thank you for viewing the detailed overview of First Solar's ROIC % provided by GuruFocus.com. Please click on the following links to see related term pages.


First Solar Business Description

Address
350 West Washington Street, Suite 600, Tempe, AZ, USA, 85288
First Solar designs and manufactures solar photovoltaic panels, modules, and systems for use in utility-scale development projects. The company's solar modules use cadmium telluride to convert sunlight into electricity. This is commonly called thin-film technology. First Solar is the world's largest thin-film solar module manufacturer. It has production lines in Vietnam, Malaysia, the United States, and India.
Executives
Patrick James Buehler officer: Chief Quality and Rel. Officer 28101 CEDAR PARK BLVD., PERRYSBURG OH 43551
Byron Michael Jeffers officer: CAO, Interim 350 WEST WASHINGTON ST., TEMPE AZ 85281
Kuntal Kumar Verma officer: Chief Mfg. Engineering Officer 28101 CEDAR PARK BLVD., PERRYSBURG OH 43551
Mark R Widmar officer: Chief Financial Officer C/O GRAFTECH INTERNATIONAL LTD, 12900 SNOW ROAD, PARMA OH 44130
Jason E. Dymbort officer: General Counsel, Interim 77 RIO ROBLES, SAN JOSE CA 95134
Alexander R. Bradley officer: Chief Financial Officer 77 RIO ROBLES, SAN JOSE CA 95134
Michael Koralewski officer: Chief Mfg. Operations Officer 28101 CEDAR PARK BLVD., PERRYSBURG OH 43551
Michael T Sweeney director GOLDNER HAWN, 3700 WELLS FARGO CENTER, 90 SOUTH 7TH ST, MINNEAPOLIS MN 55402
Paul H Stebbins director C/O WORLD FUEL SERVICES CORP, 9800 N.W. 41ST STREET, SUITE 400, MIAMI FL 33178
Richard D Chapman director 350 WEST WASHINGTON STREET, SUITE 600, TEMPE AZ 85281
Caroline Stockdale officer: EVP, HR & Communications C/O WARNER MUSIC GROUP, 75 ROCKEFELLER PLAZA, NEW YORK NY 10019
R Craig Kennedy director 1844 "R" STREET, NW, WASHINGTON DC 20009
Georges Antoun officer: Chief Operating Officer C/O FIRST SOLAR, INC., 350 WEST WASHINGTON ST., SUITE 600, TEMPE AZ 85281
Markus Gloeckler officer: Co-Chief Technology Officer 28101 CEDAR PARK BLVD., PERRYSBURG OH 43551
William J Post director 400 NORTH FIFTH STREET, ., PHOENIX AZ 85004