Every investor can appreciate a stock that consistently beats the Street without getting ahead of its fundamentals and risking a meltdown. The best stocks offer sustainable market-beating gains, with improving financial metrics that support strong price growth. Let's take a look at what First Solar's (Nasdaq: FSLR ) recent results tell us about its potential for future gains. What the numbers tell you The graphs you're about to see tell First Solar's story, and we'll be grading the quality of that story in several ways. Growth is important on both top and bottom lines, and an improving profit margin is a great sign that a company's become more efficient over time. Since profits may not always be reported at a steady rate, we'll also look at how much First Solar's free cash flow has grown in comparison to its net income. A company that generates more earnings per share over time, regardless of the number of shares outstanding, is heading in the right direction. If First Solar's share price has kept pace with its earnings growth, that's another good sign that its stock can move higher. Is First Solar managing its resources well? A company's return on equity should be improving, and its debt-to-equity ratio declining, if it's to earn our approval. By the numbers Now, let's take a look at First Solar's key statistics........usw. http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/11/29/...or-greatness.aspx |