Advertisement
COHR vs FSLR
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Coherent Corp. (COHR) vs. First Solar (FSLR) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- COHR has surged over 47% year-to-date and 255% over the past year, driven by AI datacenter demand, vastly outperforming the S&P 500.
- FSLR shows mixed results with a 26% YTD decline amid policy uncertainties and earnings misses, though up 50% annually.
- Recent weeks highlight COHR's momentum with sharp gains on optical transceiver growth, while FSLR faces permitting delays and softer guidance.
- COHR's datacenter segment now exceeds 70% of revenues, fueling margin expansion to near 40%.
- Valuation contrasts: COHR trades at a premium on AI catalysts, while FSLR appears more value-oriented in renewables.
- Market sentiment favors AI infrastructure plays like COHR over solar amid current trends.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines COHR (Coherent Corp.) and FSLR (First Solar), two leaders in photonics and solar energy respectively. Both operate in high-growth technology sectors tied to data infrastructure and renewables, but diverge in momentum amid AI expansion and policy shifts. Traders seeking short-term relative performance insights and investors eyeing long-term sector exposure will find value here, particularly in understanding contrasts in recent market positioning and growth drivers.
COHR Overview and Recent Performance
Coherent Corp. (COHR) develops and manufactures lasers, optical transceivers, and engineered materials for datacenters, communications, industrial, and electronics markets. Its datacenter & communications segment dominates, comprising over 70% of revenues with strong demand for 800G and 1.6T transceivers supporting AI infrastructure.
In recent market activity, COHR shares have exhibited robust upward momentum, closing around $272 amid volatility but posting year-to-date gains exceeding 47% and over 255% annually. This follows Q2 fiscal 2026 results with 17.5% revenue growth to $1.69 billion and 35.8% non-GAAP EPS rise to $1.29, beating estimates. Sentiment has been bolstered by a book-to-bill ratio over 4x in datacenters, InP technology innovations, and margin expansion toward 40%, ahead of schedule. Volatility persists from profit-taking, but AI-driven optics demand sustains positive positioning.
FSLR Overview and Recent Performance
First Solar (FSLR) is a leading solar technology company producing thin-film cadmium telluride PV modules for utility-scale projects, serving developers, utilities, and large energy buyers globally.
Recent performance for FSLR reflects headwinds, with shares trading near $193 after a year-to-date drop of about 26%, despite a 50% one-year gain. Q4 2025 earnings showed $1.68 billion in sales beating estimates by 7%, but EPS of $4.84 missed by 7.2%, prompting a weaker 2026 sales outlook of $4.9-5.2 billion amid U.S. policy uncertainty and permitting delays. Module volume grew 24% annually, supported by a $2.9 billion cash balance, yet sentiment has softened due to tariff impacts, underutilization, and analyst downgrades to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). Broader solar pricing pressures contribute to recent downside.
Trending AI Robots
Tickeron’s Trending AI Robots page curates the top performers from over 351 AI trading bots that analyze thousands of tickers across stocks, ETFs, and crypto. These bots employ diverse strategies like swing trading, trend following, and price action on timeframes from 5 minutes to 60 days, with standout annualized returns ranging from 15% to 126%—such as 125.59% for a multi-sector bot covering semiconductors, oil, and aerospace (61% win rate, 6.11 profit factor). Others target semiconductors like SOXL (up to 97% returns, 69% win rate) or broad tech plays. Selected for current market conditions, they highlight volatility in AI, energy, and growth sectors. Explore these high-performing bots tailored to today's trends and consider copying top strategies for potential edge in dynamic conditions.
Head-to-Head Comparison
COHR and FSLR differ sharply in business models: COHR leverages vertically integrated photonics for AI datacenters, while FSLR focuses on solar module manufacturing amid renewables expansion. Growth drivers favor COHR's optics tied to AI spending versus FSLR's volume gains offset by policy risks.
Recent momentum underscores the gap: COHR up sharply on earnings beats and sector tailwinds, contrasting FSLR's declines post-guidance. Risk factors include supply chain exposure for COHR and regulatory hurdles for FSLR. Sector-wise, COHR benefits from tech/AI hype, while FSLR navigates energy transition uncertainties. Valuation shows COHR at a 38x forward P/E premium versus FSLR's relative value, with sentiment skewed toward AI plays.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors COHR based on superior trend consistency in recent weeks, stronger catalysts from datacenter growth, and relative positioning amid AI infrastructure momentum. While FSLR offers stability in solar fundamentals, its policy-sensitive outlook lags, suggesting higher probability for COHR in the near term.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer. Disclaimers and Limitations
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is COHR is a Hold and FSLR is a Hold.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
COHR’s FA Score shows that 2 FA rating(s) are green whileFSLR’s FA Score has 0 green FA rating(s).
- COHR’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- FSLR’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
COHR’s TA Score shows that 4 TA indicator(s) are bullish while FSLR’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s).
- COHR’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 5 bearish.
- FSLR’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
COHR (@Electronic Equipment/Instruments) experienced а +12.20% price change this week, while FSLR (@Alternative Power Generation) price change was -6.40% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Electronic Equipment/Instruments industry was +2.72%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +3.56%, and the average quarterly price growth was +1.99%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Alternative Power Generation industry was +1.49%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -3.85%, and the average quarterly price growth was -3.37%.
Reported Earning Dates
COHR is expected to report earnings on May 13, 2026.
FSLR is expected to report earnings on Apr 30, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Electronic Equipment/Instruments (+2.72% weekly)This industry manufactures electronic products used in various critical and sophisticated technologies, including laser-based systems, circuit and continuity testers, electro-optical measuring instruments and high-speed precision weighing and inspection equipment. Some major companies operating in this business are Canon Inc., Keysight Technologies Inc., and Fortive Corp.
@Alternative Power Generation (+1.49% weekly)The alternative power generation industry consists of companies that operate power facilities converting non-conventional forms of energy into electricity. These energy forms are alternatives to fossil fuels, and many of them are derived from natural resources. Alternative energy forms include solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal steam. A major purpose behind using alternative energy – also called ‘clean’ energy - is to address concerns related to the more conventional fossil fuels, such as the latter’s high carbon dioxide emissions which is often considered a factor in global warming. Alternative power generation has been gaining traction in recent years, and could grow further in the future. Large organizations like Google have invested substantially in wind and solar energy-powered electricity. Some of the prominent U.S. companies operating in the alternative power generation industry includes Ormat Technologies, Inc., TerraForm Power, Inc. and NextEra Energy Partners LP.
| COHR | FSLR | COHR / FSLR | |
| Capitalization | 64.7B | 20.5B | 316% |
| EBITDA | 1.08B | 2.15B | 50% |
| Gain YTD | 86.932 | -27.099 | -321% |
| P/E Ratio | 338.25 | 13.40 | 2,524% |
| Revenue | 6.29B | 5.22B | 121% |
| Total Cash | 864M | 2.86B | 30% |
| Total Debt | 3.55B | 655M | 542% |
COHR | FSLR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 33 | 59 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 91 Overvalued | 90 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 8 | 65 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 87 | 49 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 34 | 61 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 15 | 37 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | n/a | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
FSLR's Valuation (90) in the Electronic Components industry is in the same range as COHR (91) in the Electronic Equipment Or Instruments industry. This means that FSLR’s stock grew similarly to COHR’s over the last 12 months.
COHR's Profit vs Risk Rating (8) in the Electronic Equipment Or Instruments industry is somewhat better than the same rating for FSLR (65) in the Electronic Components industry. This means that COHR’s stock grew somewhat faster than FSLR’s over the last 12 months.
FSLR's SMR Rating (49) in the Electronic Components industry is somewhat better than the same rating for COHR (87) in the Electronic Equipment Or Instruments industry. This means that FSLR’s stock grew somewhat faster than COHR’s over the last 12 months.
COHR's Price Growth Rating (34) in the Electronic Equipment Or Instruments industry is in the same range as FSLR (61) in the Electronic Components industry. This means that COHR’s stock grew similarly to FSLR’s over the last 12 months.
COHR's P/E Growth Rating (15) in the Electronic Equipment Or Instruments industry is in the same range as FSLR (37) in the Electronic Components industry. This means that COHR’s stock grew similarly to FSLR’s over the last 12 months.
| COHR | FSLR | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 66% | N/A |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 69% | 3 days ago 83% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 75% | 3 days ago 74% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 80% | 4 days ago 82% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 82% | 3 days ago 78% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 85% | 3 days ago 80% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 82% | 19 days ago 80% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 25 days ago 78% | 3 days ago 78% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 75% | 3 days ago 77% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 76% | 3 days ago 88% |
Advertisement
| 1 Day | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ETFs / NAME | Price $ | Chg $ | Chg % |
| BBEU | 78.06 | 1.18 | +1.53% |
| JPMorgan BetaBuilders Europe ETF | |||
| EAOM | 30.80 | 0.24 | +0.80% |
| iShares ESG Aware 40/60 Mod Allc ETF | |||
| YSEP | 27.16 | 0.21 | +0.76% |
| FT Vest Intl Eq Mod Bfr ETF Sep | |||
| NMCO | 10.74 | 0.06 | +0.56% |
| Nuveen Municipal Credit Opportunities Fund | |||
| LENS | 46.33 | 0.22 | +0.48% |
| Sarmaya Thematic ETF | |||