Best Solar Stocks To Buy For 2014

International investments offer unheard of growth potential for U.S. investors. With domestic growth in the gutters, some utilities have headed overseas to send sales soaring. But riskier markets, erratic regulation, and currency fluctuations can kill a company's competitiveness. Let's take a look at four utilities to see if international adventures will send their dividend stocks booming ��or busting.

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition
NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE  ) is the nation's largest producer of renewable energy, but the sun isn't shining in Spain. In February, the Spanish government changed legislation that, up until that point, made renewable energy pricing cost effective for NextEra's 100 MW solar farm. With the facility nearing completion, NextEra is pushing ahead with construction ��and taking a $300 million hit for Q1. The company reported earnings last week, reminding investors that NextEra has "removed from our financial expectations all contributions to operating earnings and cash flow from this project." The utility is hard at work suing 16 separate banks for "credit guarantee agreements," but investors shouldn't hold their breath for an optimistic outcome.

Top 5 Gas Stocks To Watch Right Now: Renesola Ltd.(SOL)

ReneSola Ltd, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of solar wafers and solar power products. It offers virgin polysilicons, monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar wafers, and photovoltaic cells and modules. The company also provides cell and module processing services. Its products are used in a range of residential, commercial, industrial, and other solar power generation systems. The company sells its solar wafers primarily to solar cell and module manufacturers. It principally operates in Mainland China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, India, Australia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, France, the Czech Republic, and the United States. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in Jiashan, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Notable earnings reports currently on tap for next week: Qihu 360 Technology Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: QIHU), Avago Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: AVGO), LDK Solar Co. Ltd. (NYSE: LDK), Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF), Joy Global Inc. (NYSE: JOY), Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB), JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO), Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. (NYSE: KKD), and ReneSola Ltd. (NYSE: SOL).

Best Solar Stocks To Buy For 2014: First Solar Inc.(FSLR)

First Solar, Inc. manufactures and sells solar modules using a thin-film semiconductor technology. It also designs, constructs, and sells photovoltaic solar power systems. The company?s solar modules employ a thin layer of semiconductor material to convert sunlight into electricity. Its integrated solar power systems activities include the project development; engineering, procurement, and construction services; operating and maintenance services; and project finance. The company sells solar modules to project developers, system integrators, and operators of renewable energy projects; and solar power systems to investor owned utilities, independent power developers and producers, and commercial and industrial companies, as well as other system owners. It operates in the United States, Germany, France, Canada, and internationally. The company was formerly known as First Solar Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to First Solar, Inc. in 2006. First Solar was founded in 1999 a nd is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  The Energy Strategist Portfolio Update

  First Solar Goes Supernova
  
  Home runs don’t come easily in this business, in part because of the natural temptation to lock in quick gains. This strategy for coping with good fortune, known in scholarly work as disposition bias, can be quite costly, because it rids portfolios of the best-performing, highest-momentum stocks soon after their merits have become more apparent. It’s a great way to turn home runs into doubles.
  
  Don’t make that mistake with First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR) following the stock’s 18 percent rally Friday in the aftermath of an uncommonly strong earnings report. With today’s 4 percent follow-through, shares are up 67 percent since we recommended purchase on Aug. 28.
  
  The headline numbers included a 50 percent year-over-year revenue jump accompanied by a near-doubling of net earnings to $1.94 per share, while the pro-forma $2.28 per share more than doubled Wall Street’s consensus. First Solar has consistently warned that its results will be lumpy, and this time the lumps proved sweet thanks to the disposal of some projects as well as the first infusion of recognized revenue from a big solar project under construction in California’s Riverside county.
  
  One might further quibble that an annual review lowering the estimated costs of First Solar’s program for recycling obsolete panels from its projects boosted operating earnings by $49 million, or 24 percent.
  
  But the numbers really worth paying attention to are those that prompted us to add the stock to the Growth Portfolio in the first place. These start with First Solar’s rapid marginal improvement in the conversion efficiency ratio of the cadmium-telluride film coating its panels, which gives the share of the available energy they are able to convert into usable power. The ratio reached 13.3 percent by the last quarter’s end, up from 13 percent three months earlier a
• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Finally, earnings continue to have big impacts not only on individual stocks but on entire industries. First Solar's (NASDAQ: FSLR  ) report last night has sent the shares for a loop: They're dropping 9% after the company missed earnings estimates. Yet the company didn't pull back from its more optimistic assessment of its future as it continues efforts to bolster its already impressive backlog of solar projects. The stock drop brings two potential opportunities. If you think First Solar's long-term prospects will stay in line with its management's projections, then today's drop is a bargain opportunity. Meanwhile, if you think the reason for First Solar's drop is tied only to the company specifically, then rival SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR  ) , which is the efficiency leader in the U.S. solar market and which has fallen almost 4% in concert with First Solar today, could be the better buy.

Best Solar Stocks To Buy For 2014: LDK Solar Co. Ltd.(LDK)

LDK Solar Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of photovoltaic (PV) products; and development of power plant projects. It offers solar-grade and semiconductor-grade polysilicon; and multicrystalline and monocrystalline solar wafers to the manufacturers of solar cells and solar modules. The company also provides wafer processing services to monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar cell and module manufacturers; and sells silicon materials, such as ingots and polysilicon scraps. In addition, it engages in the production and sale of solar cells and modules to developers, distributors, and system integrators; and design and development of solar power projects in Europe, the United States, and China, as well as provides engineering, procurement, and construction services. LDK Solar Co., Ltd. operates in Europe, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company was founded in 2005 and is based in Xinyu City, t he People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  There doesn't seem to be a shortage of bad news for LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK  ) lately. The company defaulted on loans earlier this week, bringing on concerns of a pending insolvency or bankruptcy, and today released some dismal earnings numbers.�

Best Solar Stocks To Buy For 2014: Hanwha SolarOne Co. Ltd.(HSOL)

Hanwha Solarone Co., Ltd., an investment holding company, engages in the manufacture and sale of silicon ingots, silicon wafers, and PV cells and modules. The company also offers mono crystalline and multi crystalline silicon cells; and provides PV module processing services. It sells its products to solar power system integrators and distributors primarily in Germany, Italy, Australia, the United States, the Czech Republic, Spain, and China. The company was formerly known as Solarfun Power Holdings Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Hanwha SolarOne Co., Ltd. in December 2010. Hanwha Solarone Co., Ltd. was founded in 2004 and is based in Qidong, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  News and notes
  Hanwha SolarOne (NASDAQ: HSOL  ) announced another $100 million in financing this week, this time a term loan from the Export-Import Bank of Korea. �

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Solar stocks are shooting higher again today as the strong run in 2013 continues. LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK  ) , Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ  ) , Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE  ) , Hanwha SolarOne (NASDAQ: HSOL  ) , and JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS  ) led the way, gaining between 10% and 22% today.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Lights out, China
  China may have its fair share of struggles -- which has caused its strong economy to back off its 30-year average growth rate of 10% -- but when push comes to shove, plenty of investors are still paying close attention to multinational companies making investments in China. However, if there were one sector with a gigantic "beware" stamp attached to it, it would be Chinese solar panel producers like Hanwha SolarOne (NASDAQ: HSOL  ) .

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Stocks on the move: Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) is up 31.5% at $5.13 on the announcement that Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) will acquire the Finnish firm�� mobile phone business for $7.2 billion. Chinese solar energy stocks are getting a boost again today, with Hanwha SolarOne Co. (NASDAQ: HSOL) up more than 15.9% and ReneSola Ltd. (NYSE: SOL) up 14.9%.