Stocktwits - Shares of Canadian Solar (NASDAQ:CSIQ) were down over 5% in mid-day trading on Thursday after the leading solar manufacturer’s third-quarter results and revenue guidance were below expectations.
The company reported a loss of $14 million in its third quarter. Its losses per share were at $0.31, worse than Wall Street’s expectations of a loss of $0.21, according to Stockwtis data.
Revenue stood at $1.51 billion, falling short of the estimated $1.71 billion and down 18% from the same quarter last year.
“The year-over-year decrease primarily reflects a decline in module ASPs and lower project sales, partially offset by higher battery energy storage solutions sales and higher solar module shipment volume,” the company said in a statement.
For the fourth quarter, the Ontario-based company expects revenue between $1.5 billion and $1.6 billion, below the analyst consensus of $2.15 billion.
"The solar industry faces significant external and internal challenges. While we have achieved relatively strong results, the outlook remains complex,” commented CEO Shawn Qu.
Qu is betting on the company’s early-mover advantage, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and robust international sales network for continued growth in the rapidly expanding energy storage sector.
Canadian Solar Sentiment and Message Volume on Dec 5 as of 12:00 p.m. ET | Source: StocktwitsRetail sentiment around the stock improved to ‘bullish’ (56/100) from ‘bearish’ a day ago, with a double jump in message volume to ‘extremely high’ from ‘normal.’
The ticker saw a 100% jump in message count over the last 24 hours, according to Stocktwits data.
Users on the platform applauded the company’s strategy of capitalizing on the current market opportunity in the battery business.
In the third quarter, total module shipments recognized as revenue were 8.4 gigawatts (GW), up 1% YoY, including 31 megawatts (MW) for utility-scale projects.
For the upcoming quarter, the company expects total module shipments by CSI Solar to be between 8.0 GW to 8.5 GW. and battery storage shipments of 2.0 GWh to 2.4 GWh, including 1.2 GWh for its projects.
For the full year, Canadian Solar forecasts module shipments to be in the range of 30 GW to 35 GW and total battery energy storage shipments between 11 GWh to 13 gigawatt-hours (GWh), including approximately 1 GW and 1 GWh, respectively, to the company’s projects.
“We ended the quarter with a strong cash position of $2.8 billion, which we will strategically deploy to support our long-term growth plans and strengthen our financial position as we continue to navigate industry challenges,” said Xinbo Zhu, Senior VP and CFO.
Canadian Solar’s stock has slipped 50% so far this year.
Read also: Bitcoin Surges Past $100K, Driving Retail Buzz For MARA, HOOD), RIOT, MSTR, CLSK At Thursday’s Market Open