First Solar, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2017 Financial Results
|
First Solar, Inc. recently announced financial results for the first quarter of 2017. Net sales for the first quarter were $892 million, an increase of $561 million from the prior quarter primarily due to the sale of the Moapa project, partially offset by lower third-party module sales. The Company reported first quarter earnings of $0.09 per share, compared to a loss of $(7.22) per share in the prior quarter. The first quarter was impacted by pre-tax restructuring and asset impairment charges of $20 million, related to previously announced actions. Restructuring and asset impairment charges in the fourth quarter were $729 million. Net income increased versus the prior quarter primarily as a result of higher net sales, lower restructuring and asset impairment charges and an increase in other income. First quarter non-GAAP earnings per share, adjusted for restructuring and asset impairment charges, were $0.25. Cash and marketable securities at the end of the first quarter increased to $2.4 billion from $2.0 billion in the prior quarter. The increase was primarily due to receipt of the remaining payments for the Moapa project and other project receipts. Cash flows from operations were $493 million in the first quarter. “Our first quarter results and the sale of our Moapa project are a solid start to 2017,” said Mark Widmar, CEO of First Solar. “The transition to our Series 6 product continues to progress from both a technology and commercial standpoint. We are excited about the competitive position of Series 6 and the long-term opportunities it enables.” The Company raised its revenue, EPS, operating cash flow and net cash guidance based on improved operational performance and increased visibility into certain upcoming project sales. GAAP EPS was also raised due to a decrease in expected remaining restructuring and asset impairment charges. Operating expenses increased as a result of certain costs previously forecasted to be recorded in cost of sales that are now expected to impact production start-up.
1. Defined as cash and marketable securities less expected debt at the end of 2017 For a reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures presented above to measures presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”), see the tables below. First Solar has scheduled a conference call for today, May 2, 2017 at 4:30 p.m. ET to discuss this announcement. A live webcast of this conference call is available at http://investor.firstsolar.com/events.cfm. An audio replay of the conference call will also be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call. The audio replay will remain available until May 9, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be accessed by dialing 888-203-1112 if you are calling from within the United States or 719-457-0820 if you are calling from outside the United States and entering the replay pass code 8971725. A replay of the webcast will be available on the Investors section of the Company’s website approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call and will remain available for approximately 90 calendar days. |
Adjustments to Previously Reported Financial Statement from the Adoption of Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 The following table presents the effect of the adoption of Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09 on our condensed consolidated statement of operations for the three months ended December 31, 2016 (in thousands, except per share amounts):
Non-GAAP Financial Measures In the press release above, we provided non-GAAP earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2017. We have included this non-GAAP financial measure to adjust for (i) restructuring, asset impairment and related charges primarily associated with the transition from Series 4 to Series 6 production and (ii) the tax effect associated with these items. We believe non-GAAP earnings per share, when taken together with corresponding GAAP financial measures, to be relevant and useful information to our investors because it provides them with additional information in assessing our financial operating results. Our management uses this non-GAAP financial measure in evaluating our operating performance. However, this measure has limitations, including that it excludes the effect of certain changes to our assets and liabilities and certain amounts that we may ultimately have to pay in cash. Accordingly, this non-GAAP financial measure should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to net earnings per share prepared in accordance with GAAP. The following is the reconciliation of earnings per share prepared in accordance with GAAP to non-GAAP earnings per share for each period presented (in millions, except per share amounts):
*Restructuring treated as a non-discrete item for tax purposes and will be reflected in the effective tax rate over the duration of 2017. In the press release above, we provided non-GAAP guidance as of the date of this press release for our operating expenses, operating income and earnings per share for the year ending December 31, 2017. We have included these forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to adjust our GAAP projections of such financial measures for, as applicable, (i) restructuring, asset impairment and related charges primarily associated with the transition from Series 4 to Series 6 production and (ii) additional restructuring activities expected during the remainder of the year. Other GAAP charges, including those related to certain asset impairments, restructuring programs or litigation, that would be excluded from non-GAAP earnings per share are possible for the periods presented, but such amounts are dependent on numerous factors that we currently cannot ascertain with sufficient certainty or are presently unknown. These GAAP charges are also dependent upon future events and valuations that have not yet occurred or been performed. We believe these forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures, when taken together with our corresponding financial guidance based on GAAP, to be relevant and useful information to our investors because they provide them with additional information in assessing our financial operating results. Our management also uses such non-GAAP guidance in evaluating our operating performance. However, such measures have limitations, including that they exclude the effect of certain changes to our assets and liabilities, certain amounts that we may ultimately have to pay in cash and certain tax impacts. Accordingly, these forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures that exclude the aforementioned items should be considered in addition to, and not as substitutes for or superior to, financial guidance based on GAAP. The following are the reconciliations of our current and prior non-GAAP 2017 guidance to our current and prior GAAP 2017 guidance (in millions, except per share amounts):
1. $40 to $65 million of restructuring related charges associated with the acceleration of our transition to Series 6 module manufacturing.
1. $55 to $80 million of restructuring related charges associated with the acceleration of our transition to Series 6 module manufacturing.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170502006804/en/ First Solar Investors Source: First Solar, Inc. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
