FS

First Solar, Inc. stock research

Mar 31, 2024

FY2024 Q1

First Solar (FSLR) Gross Margin — Quarter Ended Mar 31, 2024

Revenue exceeded cost of revenue, generating a positive gross profit and gross margin. The filing notes the company's liquidity and capital resources, including cash flows and available credit, as sufficient for near-term needs.

Gross margin takeaway

Quarter ended Mar 31, 2024 · FY2024 Q1

Revenue exceeded cost of revenue, generating a positive gross profit and gross margin. The filing notes the company's liquidity and capital resources, including cash flows and available credit, as sufficient for near-term needs.

  • The strongest observable margin driver is the relationship between cost of revenue and revenue. Compared to the same quarter one year earlier, cost of revenue rose only slightly while revenue increased substantially, allowing gross profit to capture a much larger share of revenue.
  • Compared to the immediately preceding quarter, revenue was lower and gross profit was lower, but gross margin improved slightly. Compared to the same quarter one year earlier, revenue was higher, gross profit was higher, and gross margin improved substantially.

Gross margin snapshot

The selected quarter's reported revenue, gross profit, direct costs, and margin comparisons.

Gross margin

43.6%

Gross profit

$346.0M

Revenue

$794.1M

Cost of revenue

$448.1M

Quarter-over-quarter change

+0.2 pts

Year-over-year change

+23.1 pts

Quarterly gross margin trend

A four-quarter view of the revenue and direct-cost bridge behind gross margin.

PeriodRevenueGross profitCost of revenueGross margin
Jun 30, 2023$810.7M$310.4M$500.3M38.3%
Sep 30, 2023$801.1M$376.2M$424.9M47.0%
Dec 31, 2023$1.2B$502.0M$656.5M43.3%
Mar 31, 2024$794.1M$346.0M$448.1M43.6%

Quarterly comparisons

Compare the selected margin with the preceding quarter and the same fiscal quarter one year earlier.

Previous-quarter change

Dec 31, 2023

+0.2 pts

Year-over-year change

Mar 31, 2023

+23.1 pts

What the margin says

Filing-constrained interpretation of margin direction, comparisons, and what to monitor next.

The strongest observable margin driver is the relationship between cost of revenue and revenue. Compared to the same quarter one year earlier, cost of revenue rose only slightly while revenue increased substantially, allowing gross profit to capture a much larger share of revenue.

Compared to the immediately preceding quarter, revenue was lower and gross profit was lower, but gross margin improved slightly. Compared to the same quarter one year earlier, revenue was higher, gross profit was higher, and gross margin improved substantially.

Monitor the trend in cost of revenue relative to revenue to assess whether the improved gross margin can be sustained.