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FSLR or MPWR or QCOM
Which Stock Would AI Choose? First Solar (FSLR) vs. Monolithic Power Systems (MPWR) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- FSLR shares have declined amid a shrinking backlog and reliance on expiring tax credits, trading around $195 with a low P/E of ~14x, offering relative value in solar but facing policy risks.
- MPWR delivered record Q4 revenue of $751M (up 21% YoY) and raised its dividend, with shares near $1,060 and strong AI/data center momentum, though at a high P/E of ~85x.
- QCOM advanced 6G partnerships with T-Mobile while navigating cautious guidance and memory shortages, shares around $138 with P/E ~28x, balancing mobile and emerging AI opportunities.
- Market caps: QCOM (~$147B) dwarfs MPWR (~$52B) and FSLR (~$21B), reflecting scale differences in semiconductors vs. solar.
- Recent sentiment favors MPWR's growth in enterprise data and automotive, while FSLR contends with U.S. policy uncertainty.
- All three benefit from tech trends, but MPWR shows superior YTD momentum amid AI demand.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines FSLR, a leader in thin-film solar modules; MPWR, a fabless power management semiconductor provider; and QCOM, a wireless technology giant spanning mobile chips and AI. These firms operate in renewable energy and semiconductors, sectors buoyed by AI, electrification, and connectivity demands. Traders seeking momentum plays and investors eyeing relative performance in volatile markets will find insights into recent price behavior, sentiment shifts, and positioning amid policy and supply chain dynamics.
FSLR Overview and Recent Performance
First Solar (FSLR), headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, manufactures cadmium telluride thin-film photovoltaic modules for utilities and commercial users globally. In recent market activity, shares have faced pressure, trading around $195 after a post-earnings slump tied to a shrinking backlog and dependency on expiring Section 45X tax credits. Q4 2025 results showed record module sales of 17.5 GW and net sales of $5.2B (up 24% YoY), with 2026 guidance for $4.9B-$5.2B sales and ~49.5% gross margins bolstered by credits. Analysts cut price targets amid policy uncertainty under the Trump administration, including permitting delays, contributing to YTD underperformance and heightened volatility in solar sentiment.
MPWR Overview and Recent Performance
Monolithic Power Systems (MPWR), based in Kirkland, Washington, designs power management semiconductors for enterprise data, automotive, and consumer applications. Recent weeks have highlighted robust performance, with Q4 revenue hitting $751M (up 21% YoY) and full-year sales at $2.8B (up 26%), driven by 43% automotive growth and AI server demand. Shares near $1,060 reflect YTD gains amid strong ordering patterns, though short-term pullbacks occurred from peaks above $1,250. A 28% dividend hike to $2/share signals confidence, while analysts praise cash flow and design wins, tempering high valuations with enterprise data exposure.
QCOM Overview and Recent Performance
QUALCOMM (QCOM), from San Diego, develops wireless technologies including 5G modems and on-device AI processors across QCT and QTL segments. In recent activity, shares hovered around $138 following Q1 FY2026 beats but cautious Q2 guidance due to memory shortages impacting handsets. Strategic moves like T-Mobile 6G collaboration and Anterix utility partnerships underscore diversification into automotive and IoT, with strong demand there offsetting mobile headwinds. YTD declines reflect broader sector rotation, yet AI enhancements and export regulation concerns shape mixed sentiment.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
FSLR focuses on utility-scale solar manufacturing, contrasting MPWR and QCOM's fabless semiconductor models emphasizing power efficiency and wireless/AI chips. Growth drivers diverge: FSLR relies on U.S. tax incentives and module demand (18-20GW 2026 forecast), while MPWR leverages AI data centers/automotive (43% growth), and QCOM diversifies via 6G/IoT. Recent momentum favors MPWR (YTD positive amid records), over QCOM's caution and FSLR's declines. Risks include FSLR's policy exposure, MPWR's premium valuation (P/E 85x vs. peers), and QCOM's handset cyclicality. Sector-wise, semis offer broader AI tailwinds than renewables' sensitivity; FSLR appears cheapest (P/E 14x), but sentiment tilts to MPWR's catalysts.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently leans toward MPWR, citing consistent trend strength in AI-driven revenue, record results, and design wins versus FSLR's backlog erosion and QCOM's guidance caution. While FSLR offers valuation appeal and QCOM scale/stability, MPWR's relative positioning in high-growth enterprise data suggests higher probabilistic outperformance 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
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).
FSLR’s FA Score shows that 0 FA rating(s) are green whileMPWR’s FA Score has 3 green FA rating(s), and QCOM’s FA Score reflects 2 green FA rating(s).
- FSLR’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
- MPWR’s FA Score: 3 green, 2 red.
- QCOM’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 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.
FSLR’s TA Score shows that 4 TA indicator(s) are bullish while MPWR’s TA Score has 6 bullish TA indicator(s), and QCOM’s TA Score reflects 4 bullish TA indicator(s).
- FSLR’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
- MPWR’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
- QCOM’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 5 bearish.
Price Growth
FSLR (@Alternative Power Generation) experienced а -3.92% price change this week, while MPWR (@Semiconductors) price change was +8.65% , and QCOM (@Semiconductors) price fluctuated +4.79% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Alternative Power Generation industry was +4.15%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -2.04%, and the average quarterly price growth was -2.74%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Semiconductors industry was +10.22%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +24.75%, and the average quarterly price growth was +27.22%.
Reported Earning Dates
FSLR is expected to report earnings on Apr 30, 2026.
MPWR is expected to report earnings on Apr 30, 2026.
QCOM is expected to report earnings on Apr 29, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Alternative Power Generation (+4.15% 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.
@Semiconductors (+10.22% weekly)The semiconductor industry manufacturers all chip-related products, including research and development. These chips are used in innumerable electronic devices, including computers, cell phones, smartphones, and GPSs. Intel Corporation, NVIDIA Corp., and Broadcomm are some of the prominent players in this industry. Semiconductor companies usually tend to do well during periods of healthy economic growth, thereby inducing further research and development in the industry – which in turn augurs well for productivity and growth in the economy. In the near future, demand for semiconductor products (and possibly innovation within the segment) should only expand further, with the proliferation of 5G, autonomous vehicles, IoT, and various AI-driven electronics set to herald a new, advanced chapter in the technology-driven world as we know it. With burgeoning prospects comes great competition. In 2015, SIA estimated that U.S. semiconductor industry ranks as the second most competitive U.S. industry out of 2882 U.S. industries designated manufacturers by the U.S. Census Bureau.
| FSLR | MPWR | QCOM | |
| Capitalization | 20.7B | 73.2B | 147B |
| EBITDA | 2.15B | 781M | 14.8B |
| Gain YTD | -26.314 | 64.818 | -19.086 |
| P/E Ratio | 13.55 | 115.93 | 27.73 |
| Revenue | 5.22B | 2.79B | 44.9B |
| Total Cash | 2.86B | 581M | 11.8B |
| Total Debt | 655M | 15.1M | 14.8B |
FSLR | MPWR | QCOM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 59 | 28 | 11 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 90 Overvalued | 84 Overvalued | 9 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 64 | 18 | 86 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 49 | 46 | 43 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 61 | 2 | 61 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 34 | 2 | 14 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 50 | 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.
QCOM's Valuation (9) in the Telecommunications Equipment industry is significantly better than the same rating for MPWR (84) in the Semiconductors industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for FSLR (90) in the Electronic Components industry. This means that QCOM's stock grew significantly faster than MPWR’s and significantly faster than FSLR’s over the last 12 months.
MPWR's Profit vs Risk Rating (18) in the Semiconductors industry is somewhat better than the same rating for FSLR (64) in the Electronic Components industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for QCOM (86) in the Telecommunications Equipment industry. This means that MPWR's stock grew somewhat faster than FSLR’s and significantly faster than QCOM’s over the last 12 months.
QCOM's SMR Rating (43) in the Telecommunications Equipment industry is in the same range as MPWR (46) in the Semiconductors industry, and is in the same range as FSLR (49) in the Electronic Components industry. This means that QCOM's stock grew similarly to MPWR’s and similarly to FSLR’s over the last 12 months.
MPWR's Price Growth Rating (2) in the Semiconductors industry is somewhat better than the same rating for QCOM (61) in the Telecommunications Equipment industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for FSLR (61) in the Electronic Components industry. This means that MPWR's stock grew somewhat faster than QCOM’s and somewhat faster than FSLR’s over the last 12 months.
MPWR's P/E Growth Rating (2) in the Semiconductors industry is in the same range as QCOM (14) in the Telecommunications Equipment industry, and is in the same range as FSLR (34) in the Electronic Components industry. This means that MPWR's stock grew similarly to QCOM’s and similarly to FSLR’s over the last 12 months.
| FSLR | MPWR | QCOM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | N/A | 1 day ago 73% | 1 day ago 75% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 81% | 1 day ago 69% | 1 day ago 70% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 73% | 1 day ago 87% | 1 day ago 63% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 6 days ago 82% | 1 day ago 84% | 1 day ago 60% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 78% | 1 day ago 80% | 1 day ago 64% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 80% | 1 day ago 80% | 1 day ago 67% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 21 days ago 80% | 1 day ago 77% | 1 day ago 64% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 5 days ago 78% | 7 days ago 66% | 15 days ago 73% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 77% | 1 day ago 76% | 1 day ago 76% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 88% | 1 day ago 78% | 1 day ago 67% |
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|---|---|---|---|
| ETFs / NAME | Price $ | Chg $ | Chg % |
| XLI | 173.90 | 0.39 | +0.22% |
| State Street® IndstrlSelSectSPDR®ETF | |||
| NUSB | 25.26 | 0.01 | +0.02% |
| Nuveen Ultra Short Income ETF | |||
| XHYD | 38.33 | -0.04 | -0.12% |
| BondBloxx US HY Cnsmr N-Cyclcls Sctr ETF | |||
| BTO | 37.66 | -0.06 | -0.16% |
| John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund | |||
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| T. Rowe Price Health Care ETF | |||