After the Sell-Off, 3 Solar Stocks to Buy Now

Energy

Published: September 15, 2015 8:15 am

Last Updated: September 15, 2015 8:57 am

If any industry has been put through the wringer this year, it has been clean technology, which includes many of the top solar stocks. Even though the demand for clean technology is increasing every year, the stocks have been absolutely hammered in 2015, and they may be presenting aggressive investors with the best entry points since early in 2013.

In a new research report, Deutsche Bank analysts say that they expect solar companies to present a relatively upbeat industry outlook during the upcoming Solar Power International conference in Anaheim, Calif., next week. With fundamentals accelerating and module pricing remaining relatively stable, they remain very bullish. They also point out that the recent volatility in the market and China has not had an impact on downstream projects.

The Deutsche Bank team remains positive and thinks the big sell-off in the sector provides a very attractive entry point for aggressive investors looking to own the sector leaders. We picked three of the five the firm is positive on that may have the best upside potential. We also recently covered six stocks that are poised to outperform next year.

SunEdison

This top solar company has been absolutely destroyed, down over 65% since July, after pushing higher since the beginning of the year. SunEdison Inc. (NYSE: SUNE) manufactures solar technology and develops, finances, installs and operates distributed solar power plants, delivering predictably priced electricity and services to its residential, commercial, government and utility customers. SunEdison also provides 24/7 asset management, monitoring and reporting services for hundreds of solar systems worldwide via the company’s Renewable Operation Center (ROC).

ALSO READ: 7 Energy Stocks Analysts Want You to Buy Now

SunEdison and its yieldco company TerraForm Power Inc. signed a definitive agreement in November to acquire First Wind for a total sum of $2.4 billion. The combined entity became one of the largest clean energy companies in the world.

The company also bought Vivint Solar in a cash, stock and convertible securities deal. It was a deal that some on Wall Street thought was ill-advised, and some investors are wary of the buying binge and do not feel the company has the profits to support all the transactions. Plus, when it reported second-quarter results, revenues were higher than last year, but the net loss was massive.

Deutsche Bank has the stock rated Buy with a $28 price target. The Thomson/First Call consensus target price is $27. The shares closed trading Monday at an incredibly low $10.60.
SunPower

This company is adding capacity at a breakneck pace and plays into the overall potential climate change theme SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR) offers solar power products, including panels, balance of system components and inverters. It also designs, manufactures and sells high-performance rooftop and ground-mounted solar power systems, as well as utility-scale photovoltaic power plants. The company also offers operations and maintenance services, including remote monitoring, preventative and corrective maintenance services, as well as rapid-response outage restoration and inverter repair services.

SunPower and First Solar formed a jointly form a publicly traded yield company called 8point3 Energy Partners. Many think the company is uniquely positioned as a solar-only yieldco with joint sponsorships by two of the largest solar developers in the world.

ALSO READ: Short Sellers Launch Massive Attack on Solar Stock

Other Wall Street analysts have noted that company management expects to add significant production capacity, including a new 800 megawatt fab that will target 25% cell efficiency. They feel this will allow the company to leverage the high-efficiency technology and low-cost financing to expand on projects around the world.

Deutsche Bank’s price objective is $43, while the consensus target is set at $36.80. The stock closed on Monday at $22.72.

First Solar

This top stock also has been absolutely eviscerated this year. First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) operates through two segments. The Components segment designs, manufactures and sells solar modules, such as CdTe modules that convert sunlight into electricity for project developers, system integrators and operators of photovoltaic (PV) solar power systems.

The Systems segment provides turn-key PV solar power systems or solar solutions, such as project development; engineering, procurement and construction; operating and maintenance; and project finance services to investor-owned utilities, independent power developers and producers, commercial and industrial companies, and PV solar power system owners.

The Deutsche Bank price objective is $68, and the consensus target is lower at $62.20. The shares ended Monday at $46.20.

ALSO READ: SunEdison and Canadian Solar Move Forward on Solar Projects

Clearly these stocks are only suitable for very aggressive accounts, but the opportunity after such massive selling is big, and the downside on these top companies looks limited. Investors may want to scale buy shares in case the market takes another big leg down.

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